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destinyc1020 · 1 year

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Ya but Lily doesn’t have Rooney’s talent lol sorry

Is it that she really doesn't have the talent? Or that she's never been given the opportunity? 🤔

I mean, there are some who would have said that Zendaya could never play a drug addict coming from wholesome Disney, and do some of the things she's had to do on "Euphoria" if you just looked at her past history and filmography prior to Euphoria. Now look, she's a 2x EMMY winner okay? 😂

I say the same about Austin Butler.... There are some who would have said, "how on earth is this guy gonna lead a whole entire biopic MOVIE about one of the most well-known icons in American history when he's barely done anything of note or led a major motion picture film in his life??"

But yet.... Here we are.... 😅

Now he's a Golden Globe WINNER.

Some could have looked at Will Smith years ago on Fresh Prince and figured he would be doing nothing but comedy TV his whole life. Now, he's an OSCAR winner.

Joey King ("The Kissing Booth") and how she transformed in "The Act" was nothing short of amazing imo. 🤷🏾‍♀️ Imagine if nobody took a chance on her for that role?

I've learned long ago not to confuse "talent", with OPPORTUNITY. I say this about a LOT of black actors and actresses and POC in Hollywood just in general. A lot of times it's not talent that's lacking, it's the same opportunities!

Some ppl are actually talented, but just haven't really been given the opportunity to showcase their talent in more substantial projects until years later down the line. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I think that's why some ppl get so mad at "Nepo Babies" lol.... 😅 Because SOME (not all) of them get ALL of the opportunities when they haven't had to even work for them, and some of them (not all) aren't even all that talented, but they STILL get opportunities early on that most would not... 👀 🥴

So, I can't really speak to which category Lily falls under (I haven't seen enough of her work tbh), but I feel like if given the right direction, backing and avenues, you may be surprised what ppl can end up doing. 🤷🏾‍♀️

All it takes is for someone to believe in your talent potential, and take a chance on you. 😊 Z had that with Sam.... Austin had that with Baz, and so on and so on....

With that said, you're probably right that they felt Rooney had more range. 😅

I don't even know if Lily was even in the actual director's conversation, but I know fans have been fan casting her HARD for this role for years as Audrey.

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ashercate-marablanchett · 1 year

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𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

Warnings: talks abt ed disorder

Word Count: 2,106

85 calories in the toast. 116 calories in butter and 45 calories in orange juice. I shouldn't have had toast. I can't keep doing this. My hips feel heavy, as though all of that junk went straight through me settling down at the lower part of my body. I'm always heavy I felt heavy.

"I've seen better days! So unafraid in my youth. I can't breathe, much less believe the truth." My headphone rattled against my ears not being able to fit on my head perfectly. I rode the Londons Underground train every day to school. I've been going to this new school for what felt like a damn eternity, but it's only been a few weeks. I started a little late. My older sister took me in when I had to leave my mother. I had to uproot from New York to London. It's pretty I'll give it that. The rain was peaceful. Like today, it wasn't a downpour. It was a light patter against the cement. As I walked to the metro station this morning, I heard little tapping on the awnings of storefronts as I walked underneath. I was peaceful. I keep using that word don't I? Peaceful. Like I haven't grown too accustomed to what peaceful is. The peaceful feeling is strangely comforting in this foreign city.

I had my nose deep in one of my books still listening to music as I bolted out of my seat. Probably startling the older woman across from me. Someone was calling. No one knew my phone number, my sister Rooney had to get me a new one since the one in the States wouldn't be much use here.

"Roon? You scared the shit out of me. What do you want?" I spoke under my breath trying not to be loud.

"Asher? Can't I just call my favourite sister?" I could tell she was working. I could hear the endless string of unanswered calls she was not working on.

"Rooney, I'm your only sister. Did you forget that? Or do you have other 17-year-old sisters you didn't disclose?" I joked noticing my stop was coming up quickly. I jolted to my feet sensing the little light show was going to start. I blinked furiously seeing only stars. I got up too quickly again. Fuck! I leaned on the side to keep my balance.

"Haha! No! If I had more sisters like you I'd be bald! The real reason I called is that I wanted to make sure you took your vitamins today." She sounded serious, but with the room looking like a disco ball I didn't notice.

"Maybe, I can't remember right now. Can I call you later I have to focus on my stop?" The train came to halt as my destination came to me instantly.

"Asher, I'm serious. You need to take those. You're bruised like a fucking dalmation. If these vitamins don't work I'll have to take you to see someone. That's not normal." She trailed on as I left my phone at my side still hearing her voice yammering on.

"Kay, I'm sorry I'll take them when I get home after school. I promise Roon. I gotta go bye!" I hung up reluctantly stepping out onto the landing.

I had to walk another block just to reach this private school my sister so happily put me in. I don't know why she just didn't put me in public school. Why she would waste her good-earned lawyer cash on her little sister. I wanted to smoke so bad. I had to watch my every move around here. Anyone being seen in uniform with a cigarette can either get detention or expelled, the urge was too overcoming. I knew there was an alley somewhere before I reached the school perimeter. There had to be. In my view, I saw the St. Mary's school sign at the front of the gates and a small alley before it on my next left. I turned friskly to not to make any attention to myself.

Man, it's getting cold.

It was only a slight breeze and my white fingers have turned light beryl. Smoking made me feel warm, yes, it will probably kill me. Though, what won't? If this won't kill me then I'd just have to do it myself. Slowly, and quietly. I shuffled through my bag feeling my almond-shaped nails snag everything that wasn't tied down in my bag. Cords, books, notebooks until I found my carton of Marlboro Reds squished underneath my laptop. None of the cigarettes were damaged but the box has seen better days. The lighter weaves through my fingers like it's about the escape my gasp. It faintly draws to a halt once it catches the deep webbing between my fingers. The depth caught it. The only colour I have left in my hands is the chipped-away black nail polish showing my ghost-white nails. The earthquake is beginning, the powerful tremors my child-like hands possess while I raised my hand to my lips. My heels lifted off the ground instantly as I lit my first smoke of the day. It was a weird habit of mine. As I inhaled in the smell I addictively love so much the wind begins to strengthen. My long black hair flew against my back. I always had two metal snap clips on either side of my temples keeping the hair out of my eyes.

"Hey! You trying to get yourself in trouble?" A stunningly blonde appeared out behind a waste bin smoking herself. Her eyes were cat-like, darting every which way. She was tall, even taller with black heels. Wearing black leather pants and a dark turtle neck sweater underneath a green tweed trench coat.

"Not really that's why I'm hiding here isn't it?" I couldn't tell where her accent is from. Though, a lot of people in London are from other places. Most of these countries have different accents. Even in London, there are rural areas where the accent is profoundly different. About 40 to be exact.

"You do realize the headmaster comes to check in the first alley to see any students. Come quick!" Her hand clawed into my bicep. Basically picked me up and stuffed me behind the trash bin. "There. Finish your smoke and be on your way." She stepped back peering over to the end of the alley and seeing the headmaster cocking his head in her general direction.

"Thank you." I squeaked out flicking the long array of burnt ash at the end of your cigarette. You flicked it watching it float around the air like grey snowflakes. The blonde looked down at her heels clicking her toes together. "Don't mention it dear." She finished her cigarette brushing to the bottom of her heel. I only had half of it finished but just her staring at me made me put it out. "Thank you again." I back out of the corner I was placed in, feeling the rain becoming heavy.

"You're very welcome. Now go." She pivoted her heels to the left, walking off the other way. I went the other way trotting to the front of the school.

There was my math teacher standing in front of the gates. She was an uptight, old woman trapped in a 28-year-olds body. I knew I'd have an issue. I usually have the habit of not wearing school-regulated shoes. Sometimes I forget, or sometimes I do it out of spite. Today I was in a rush this morning. I grabbed the first thing that was at door. The heaviest thing I have on. My platform Docs.

I swear I'm psychic, there she is looking down at me even though we're almost the same age. Same height at the very moment. I think she saw me but I try to zoom by her before she can out in a word edge-wise.

"Miss Mara? Hello? Asher?" She tried to flag me down. I turned to flick a strand of hair. "Yes, Ms. Matherson?" She's a grade A suck up. She can't let anything go.

"I know for a fact those clunky Frankenstein shoes aren't school regulated now are they?" Her little pen pointed down, and my eyes locked down at my shiny shoes knowing they were nice.

"Oh yes, I realized once I came off the subway, terrible mistake on my part. Should've known not to dress myself in the dark! Haha! I think I have an extra pair in my locker." I played cool only trying to get into the building but, I'd love to be sent home. Though Rooney would kill me. "Well alright then, I'll let it slide this time. But if you show up tomorrow without the right regulated shoes I'll have to send you to the headmaster." Her accent made my ears ring, she was annoying. "Right, I understand. Thank you."

✯¸.'*¨'*✿ ✿*'¨*'.¸✯

"Oui! Goth chick yeah? Move before I make you mate yeah?" A group of girls slammed by me. I knew some stereotypes are not real, but chavs are real. I thought I'd be surrounded by girls who act and sound like Emma Watson. Sadly to my surprise, it was like chavs ran the entire prep school. The only way I got to see real intellectual 'British' people was to upgrade my year 13 English level. If I had to be surrounded by girls who looked black who were white I possibly think I'd go insane.

You can get lost in this ancient place very quickly. I swore the queen of fucking England went to school here. The outside looks marvellous, and in some classrooms, they're an American girl's whole academic aesthetic. The stairs were a killer on my legs. Every step I took made my kneecaps shake. I could've collapsed if I didn't hold onto the railing. Each step up the stairs to the landing made me subtract more calories I'll eat today. 600, 500, 400? No. 350. There.

Once I made it to my class the door was closed. I saw a slew of classmates sitting around the door. I stood in front of the door jiggling handle. It was locked. I continued to fidget with the handle, my foot pressed firmly against the bottom of the door. "It's locked you know, right?" A guy holding a soccer team bag sat hunched over next to the door. "No shit sherlock. Maybe I can unlock it with a pin. It's dark, it doesn't look like anyone's in." I pressed my clip on my temple. Putting the small part of the clip into the lock, I twisted around trying to catch the lock mechanism. I was so distracted bent on one knee that I didn't even realize the lights in the classroom flicked on. I felt the lock attach and the knob turns. "There, I think I got it, guys." I huffed trying to apply what pressure I have left.

"No, you don't." The door flung open seeing the same black heels at my knees. It was her. The tall blonde. "So you wanna stay on the ground and dirty your tights or do you want to stand?" I bolted up onto my feet. She still towered over me.

"No. I'll stand." I fixed my skirt thinking I was flashing everyone behind me. "I think that's the smartest thing you've done all day." Her hands slipped into the pockets of her jeans. "Come, come. I'm sorry I had you all waiting so patiently. I had to tend to a personal matter." She turned around letting us all in like a herd. I immediately took the first seat at the end. The blonde stood at her desk, everyone noticed she was staring at me. Her hand was raised in front of her. "No, no. Don't sit there. Shiny boots." Me? Was it me? I looked down at everyone's shoes. The men wore oxfords and the girls had to wear Mary Janes. I was the only one wearing Docs. "Yes, you. Come sit up front." I arose seeing everyone watching me trail along. I scooped myself into the seat, not to catch my hair.

"There. That's better. Well if you haven't realized by now, I'm your new A-level English teacher Cate Blanchett. You may call me Ms. Blanchett or Ms. C if you're bold. I don't give a shit." She removed her trench coat seeing her square figure. "I'd love to get to know, every, single one of you." She sat down in her chair lowering her glasses at me. I knew it was directly to me.

#rooney mara #cate blanchett #fanfic #fanfiction #wattpad #Wattpad story #ana trigger #cate blanchett x og character

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ongaku-ato-kakikomi · 2 years

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Hello!! Do you have any new imagination of Liv Rooney x fem reader? If not you could write something cloying and really soft Please, I'm super in love with her, you know

“I had fun tonight.” Liv gives you a soft smile as you both stand on her lit porch, her eyes looking at you with a sweet light in them. “Thank you for walking me home.”

“Thank you for going out with me.” You chuckle, your head tilting at her as you let an idea form into your head. “Would it be okay if I kissed you?”

“I’d love to. I’d really love to.” A flush of red takes over her cheeks when you approach her, her words coming out in a whisper. “But I think my family’s watching...”

You stop a few inches from her, slightly moving your head so you can take a look at her house’s window. You barely manage to see the living room’s curtains roughly shutting close, your brain giving you an image of Liv’s twin sister rapidly hiding behind them.

“... they are.” Your lips stretch into a grin just as Liv gives out a sigh, your eyes looking back into hers. “Do you care?”

Her fingers gently grab onto the collar of your shirt, bringing you even closer. “No.”

You gently press her lips against hers right after she pronounces that word, the mere touch causing Liv’s stomach to twist with excitement and melt of sweetness. You part away a few seconds later with a chuckle, your eyes staring at her with a loving look in them.

“Good night, Liv.”

“... Good night, (Y/N).” She delicately waves at you just as you leave, her heart beating fast inside her chest as she feels her smile hurt her cheeks. “Be safe! Okay?”

You chuckle once more, pointing your house on the other side of the street. “Don’t worry; I think I’ll be okay.”

She giggles, her arms crossing over her stomach as she watches you cross the street to get to your own house. Her fingers graps onto the fabric of the jacket she’s wearing just as you reach your own porch, her eyes opening wide with realization a few seconds later.

“Wait, you forgot your-” She realizes too late that you’ve entered your house, her fingers taking a tighter grip onto her sleeves. “... jacket.”

Silence follow her words, the few noises of the night greeting her and the sweet feelings swirling inside her chest. A soft smile graces her lips as she brings one of your jacket’s sleeves to her face, her lips stretching even further onto her cheeks as she takes in your scent. A giggle comes out through her throat and she hugs the jacket close to her chest, her body soon turning towards the door’s entrance to walk into her house.

One thing’s for sure, she’s never taking this jacket off.

#liv and maddie #liv rooney #liv rooney imagine #liv rooney imagines #liv rooney x reader #liv and maddie imagine #liv and maddie imagines #liv and maddie x reader #imagine #imagines #x reader #reader insert #request #requests

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izzyrmiller · 2 years

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I Watched “My Mad Fat Diary” For the First Time and it Uncovered Memories From my Teenage Years

Last week, I watched the 2013 E4 British teen comedy TV series, “My Mad Fat Diary”. It was my first time watching the show despite many of my friends hyping it up, often in shock when I told them I hadn’t seen it before.

It was added to Netflix this month, scoring a place in the “Popular” category. Considering I had finished watching the new series of “You” and felt maybe it was time to stray away from re-watching my comfort show, (cue “I’ll be there for you” by the Rembrandts), I decided to give MMFD a watch.

I absolutely loved every second of it. It’s the kind of show that has you in fits of laughter one second and reaching for the Kleenex the next. The show has flowing storylines that make for great binge watching and features actors such as the ever-brilliant Jodie Comer and talented directors including BAFTA winning Tim Kirkby.

The reason the show resonated with me so much was because the protagonist, Rae Earl, reminded me so much of my teenage self.

Rae Earl is not fictitious. She is a writer and broadcaster who wrote the book “My Fat Mad Teenage Diary” in 2007, which later became the very show I find myself fangirling over today. In the show, Rae is portrayed by Glaswegian actress Sharon Rooney. When we meet Rae, she’s just been discharged from a psychiatric hospital in Lincolnshire in the mid 90’s. Rae is 16 years old, tall, awkward and weighs 16 stone. She’s also funny, bright, obsessed with music and boy crazy.

The show follows Rae as she navigates the already hectic and often difficult life of a 16-year-old girl. It tackles issues of mental health, bullying, sexual assault, body dysmorphia and difficult relationships.

Whilst I was watching the show, I found myself reflecting on my own experiences as a teenager.

I, like Rae, was lucky enough to have a strong group of friends around me growing up. However, I too was tall, awkward, and about 3 dress sizes bigger than my most of female friends.

Scenes including the absolute dread that Rae feels when invited to a pool party, the fears she has about eating in front of others and the scary prospect of getting undressed in front of her love interest Finn, played by Nico Mirallegro, all mirrored experiences I had growing up.

What is great about MMFD is that it portrays an extremely accurate portrayal of mental illness, not just regarding Rae but the other characters as well. Chloe, played by Jodie Comer, deals with traumas such as abortion and domestic abuse. Dan Cohen plays Archie, originally a love interest of Rae’s who is struggling with his sexuality. Archie comes out as gay and is victim to homophobia at college.

Even the adults in the show are used to portray life’s difficulties. Rae’s mum, Linda, who is played by the brilliant Claire Rushbrook, struggles with parenting her complicated daughter. She marries her Tunisian boyfriend Karim who is an undocumented immigrant and wrestles with her daughter’s lack of acceptance for him and determination to meet her real father. Ian Hart plays Kester Gill, Rae’s therapist who aids in helping Rae overcome her mental health issues whilst secretly dealing with a divorce.

At its core, coming of age shows such as MMFD will forever be important. They remind us that life is not perfect and that we are not alone in our struggles. Part of me wonders if I had of watched this show when I was 16, I would have felt comforted that there was a female protagonist on TV that echoed my struggles as a teen. Sure, we had Skins and Glee that did their part in representing those who didn’t fit the status quo but shows like MMFD provide an authentic yet often disregarded school experience for so many.

In the finale of MMFD, Rae is on her way to uni, she’s mentally stronger, braver, and ready for a new chapter of her life. I hope for more shows like this that empower young people and help them recognise their true potential, despite their insecurities and issues with their mental health

#writers #journalism #mental health #my mad fat diary #tv #british #student #television #coming of age #first post

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mccleans · 2 years

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ok here goes. this was so funny to me because the way he talks... simply not translateable sometimes ❤ I tried!

I: why did you choose the arsenal shirt now?

SG: because I still know it from many old recordings and I of course have one of it at home, naturally not the original. I think it's a cool style and these JVC letters... that used to be the main kit sponsor which I have some memories of. the button looks really good, also that old cannon batch and the collar... I find it extremely nice (he said mega lmao, you noticed it).

I: how did you feel back then to leave all your friends behind, move to a new country, in a city like that?

SG: well firstly it was of course very exciting to move from my hometown weißach to London, into a whole different culture, different lifestyle, new language... you leave your familiar surroundings behind. what made it easier for me was that my father came with me, he gave me a small sense of home. all in all it was a great experience and I think I made big steps in my personal development.

when I see this kit I remember my old youth coach steve bolt who played in it himself, a club legend, he was my very first coach back then, really tough guy. came into his team as a 16yo, and his team speeches were quite a bit louder than those I got before, he also liked to swear now and then... of course I had to get used to it at first but I think it really helped me very much, especially regarding toughening up. he's a club legend who had a successful time at arsenal and to learn from him was brilliant for me.

I: who was the biggest star you played against during that time?

SG: I think Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs. I think 2013, playing in old Trafford, I came in and can remember one situation when i dribbled past Ryan Giggs... still on my mind.

I: are you still following arsenal and the premier league?

SG: when I can I watch their matches. of course I still have "the gun" (do you guys say that?!) in my heart and am happy when arsenal play a good match and win and generally are on a good way.

later he also said he's secretly in love with a girl called lucy who he will come back to arsenal for but he can't say exactly when because he needs to make a big show out of it to announce his new contract simultaneously with his marriage proposal

JKBZIABSKABSKANSOSBAOSBAKABAKABJA no because if i even SPEAK! wow oh wow oh wow the lines i can read between here the possibilities are actually endless infinite so expansive. idk who i love more right now u or serge. probably u <3

#THANK YOU!!!!!!!! FOR EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER #if a tear slipped out imagining the last bit no it didnt ❤️ KDNSKSN #this is all only adding fuel to my serge gunner gnabry belief #also 'thats just how he talks' yaass i love an incomprehensible man me too babygirl <3 #thank u thank u thank u this was so nice of u to do :( wow smth so personal to me #serge gnabry #football #arsenal

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stillbandofbrothersthirsty · 3 years

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As Far As Friends Go

Chapter 10 (Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9)

Nixon - April 1944

There was a fresh energy about Emily, a lightness in her step that had never been there before. Nixon first noticed it that Monday morning when she trotted into the intelligence room with a box of what looked like handicraft materials.

“Good morning,” she said in a sing-song voice. Her smile seemed brighter against her red lips.

“‘Morning,” Nixon responded. Emily looked particularly nice that day, Nixon noted. Her hair seemed bouncier, shinier, and her legs looked as nice as ever in those black heels and nylons. This was all objectively speaking of course. She was a new woman and her renewed energy showed magnetically. Nixon wasn’t the only one to notice either; he didn’t miss the creeping eyes of other staff members doing their best to sneak a glance at Emily.

“Nix,” the voice of Dick Winters interrupted his train of thought. Nixon dropped the report he was meant to be reading and looked up at his lean, copper haired friend.

“What?”

“We’re both needed in Colonel Sink’s office.”

“Right,” Nixon stood up from his desk, his chair shifting loudly behind him.

The remainder of the day passed in monotonous agony as Nixon was pulled from one meeting to another to trainings and back again with only quick trips back to the intelligence office to grab a file or notes. At each brief return, Nixon found Emily poised at her desk, dead focused on the slowly growing stack of aerial photos on her desk. Curiosity lined with envy poked at him. She seemed so invested in what she was doing surely it was more interesting than what he had been doing all day. He felt like a carrier pigeon bringing information and requests back and forth between intelligence staff, officers, and the war department. Where was the challenge in that?

By the time evening came all Nixon wanted was to drop into bed with a drink. He had promised Welsh that he would meet him for a drink, a promise he now regretted making. The man was quartered at a house in town and it was far too easy for him to slip away to the pub, and since Nixon had privileges that the enlisted men didn’t (and because Winters didn’t drink), Welsh often invited Nixon to be his casual drinking buddy. Nixon didn’t have the same energy for the pub crowds as Welsh did. On more than one occasion he stood his friend up, and this evening was looking like it was about to be one of those times.

Nixon slumped down onto the twin bed in his tight box room and that was it, he wasn’t getting up. He lay there, head barely propped up on the pillow, lacking the energy to even pull his boots off. This wasn’t the same exhaustion he had felt during his training at Toccoa. His body was strong, in fact it felt over-rested, restless. He found himself wishing for that physical fatigue he had once known. Things had grown stale for him at Aldbourne. Generally speaking, he enjoyed the work and he did it well. But recently Nixon felt under stimulated.

Things in his personal life had also become stagnant. His letters home were predictable and polite. He wasn’t lacking in fraternity camaraderie thanks to his friendships with Winters and Welsh and now Emily. He fully considered her a friend, and one he was grateful to know. Yet, Nixon felt himself wanting since the drama of their strained association had ended.

With combat on the horizon, he was conscious of not jinxing the relative peace he was experiencing. But a part of him, deep down, feared his own potential recklessness. He knew himself well enough to suspect that he may just do something that his rational self would regret later if this boredom continued.

Perhaps he should go out for that drink with Welsh, at least for the opportunity to burn off some frustrated energy. Barely lifting his head from the pillow, Nixon tipped a bit of liquor from his flask down his throat as he debated with himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by the gentlest knock at his door. Nixon lifted his head in surprise, he wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Lew? You in there?” A voice murmured through the wooden door.

“Yeah,” Nixon whispered louder back, “come in,” he said as an afterthought.

Slowly, the door was eased open and Emily slipped quickly inside. She was dressed in slacks and a dark blouse tied up loosely around her waist. Although it was late evening and her face looked clean of makeup she still sported her bold red lipstick. She grinned naughtily, obviously feeling rebellious for being in his room at such an hour.

“Emily?” Nixon couldn’t say he wasn’t a little surprised, “what’re you doing here?”

From behind her back Emily produced an open bottle of red wine and a deck of playing cards.

“What do you say?” she smiled charmingly, “up for a little gin?” 

Nixon raised an eyebrow, “I hope you mean the game and not that you have gin in that stoppered bottle of yours.”

  “Don’t be silly! Do you mind?” Emily flopped down on the foot of his bed without waiting for permission. “I’m afraid the wine won’t be up to your usual standard. If I’m being completely honest, it wasn’t very expensive.”

“You always assume me a snob.” Nixon took the bottle from her to check out the label.

“Well, you are kind of a snob. Vat 69 exclusively?”  

“I drink beer.”

“As a supporting act,” Emily said.

Nixon chuckled and handed the bottle back to her, “you don’t know much about whiskey do you?”

“See! That’s something a snob would say!”

“I could be worse.”

“True,” Emily conceded, “you’re a snob but at least you’re not condescending. I’ve met a few guys like that.”

“Notre Dame men?”

“Harvard, I’ve recently met them.”

“Good thing I went to Yale.”

“Oh yes, good thing!” Emily teased.

“Anyways,” Nixon continued, “you may be surprised to know that Vat 69 isn’t the smoothest of whiskeys. Just happens to be my personal preference.”  

Emily eyed him, he could see that she wanted to say something but was holding back.

  “What?” he pried.

“Nothing!” Her voice clearly revealed she didn’t actually mean nothing.

“Tell me.”

Emily chewed on her lip then smiled hesitantly, “do all alcoholics have preferences?”  

Nixon rolled his eyes, “I’m only an alcoholic if it becomes a problem.”

“If?” Emily wrestled the cork from her wine bottle.

 “Has my work performance been slipping, Miss Rooney? Do you have some feedback you would like to offer?”

Emily took a swig from the bottle. Nixon could see the tint of ox blood red blossom between her cherry lips before she swallowed. “Not at all Captain.”   

Nixon’s mouth twisted in distaste and he gestured for her to pass the bottle. She took another drink before handing it over, “actually,” she said smacking her lips, “I did have a question - or actually something I wanted to share - from when I was looking over a few of those surveillance pictures. I noticed that there was this hedge, or like fence, or something in a place that isn’t showing up on the topographers’ maps. I think that may change or impact whatever’s in the works.”

Nixon nodded thoughtfully, “okay, good to know. We can go over it in more detail tomorrow or next time we’re both in the office. But enough shop talk, why are you here again?”  

Emily held up the deck of cards triumphantly, “gin! Want to play? Or am I interrupting plans?” she asked suddenly timid.

Nixon thought about Welsh at the pub. Eh, he probably made some new buddies to drink with, Nixon wasn’t worried. He still felt tired but looking at Emily perched on the end of his bed, he wasn’t about to kick her out. It’s not like he would be sleeping if she left anyways. The most tragic irony of his current state was that his restless exhaustion had made an insomniac out of him.

“Not at all, let’s play.”

 Light seemed to radiate off of her smile in the dimmed room. She tucked her legs under her and dealt the cards. Nixon took another drink of wine, feeling his frustration abate, at least for the night.

Nixon’s workload continued to increase over the next couple of days. He was run ragged by a laundry list of tasks. Although the tasks felt menial, there was the sensation that things were coming to a head. He had known that something big was in the works for a while now. Since he handed those first photos over to Emily he was prepared for what was most likely their invasion of the continent. Finally, it seemed as if it was going to happen.

The intelligence office had been instructed to begin constructing sand tables; miniature, but lifelike maps of the terrain where the allies intended to invade. In a meeting with the higher-ups, Nixon had been instructed not to divulge the location for the impending invasion to anyone. The point of invasion was on a need-to-know basis. The sand tables could be constructed based off of the provided information without having to reveal the actual location. According to Colonel Sink, Emily and other S-2s were to simply be artists for the time being.

Nixon had barely found the time to relay construction instructions to Emily before he was whisked off to another meeting. Ergo, he hadn’t found the time to review the issue she had brought up to him the other night; an inconsistency with the aerial photos and topographical maps.

“Sir,” Emily stood up from her desk when he ducked in to visit his desk one day, “I need to talk to you.”

 Nixon ignored her, focused on his task. He was only there to collect some reports.

“Nixon, sir,” Emily skittered over to his desk. “Sir, I need to show you these photos I pieced together. Remember? I mentioned the other night-,”

“Not now Emily,” Nixon grumbled as he rifled through his papers.

 “Nixon, please it’s important. I think you should know before you proceed any further with whatever is being planned.”

“You can show me later.”

“I could, yes sir, but I think you should know that the topographical maps may not be completely accurate. They’ll need to be altered which means any strategic planning may need changing which I would hate for everyone to have to revise. It would be better to start with the correct information-,”

“Emily! Please!” Nixon finally found the reports he was after. He exited the room quickly with Emily on his heels, her black pumps tip-tapping irritatingly across the wood and carpets of the manor.

“Lewis, I wanted to show you days ago, take a look at these, really quick,” she stuffed the photos under his chin. Nixon snatched them out of her hand exasperatedly, “what?” he demanded.

She was struggling slightly to keep pace with him but managed to point out a row of hedges, thick and wide, that bordered the far right of one photo and the far left of another. Side by side, the photos formed a clear picture. If Emily hadn’t pointed out the hedge, Nixon may have assumed that the dense shrubbery was blurred photo ink.

“Where is this?” 

“It appears to be a large hedgerow right near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. In fact, it appears to be one of the largest in the area. Sir, it’s not on the topographers’ maps and in my opinion a hedgerow of this size should be included on those maps. It could offer strategic cover for almost the whole battalion. Even possibly an opportune place to set up a rendezvous point? Assuming the Germans aren’t encroaching on that position.” Emily’s voice didn’t waver. She was confident in her work.

“How do you know this is Sainte-Marie-du-Mont?” Nixon kept his voice neutral. Of course he knew that Operation Overlord intended to drop the Airborne into Normandy, but Emily shouldn’t have been the wiser.

Emily returned his suspicious gaze with an emotionless one. There was no hint as to how she discovered the intended invasion point. “I know my maps, sir,” she said.

Nixon couldn’t help the corner of his mouth turning up slightly. “Thanks for sharing this with me, Miss Rooney. Nice work. I’ll be sure to pass the information along.”

#band of brothers #hbo band of brothers #lewis nixon #lewis nixon x oc #fanfiction #original character #oc #as far as friends go #harry welsh #dick winters #winnix

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marypickfords · 5 years

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“It is no exaggeration to say that Mary Pickford had one of history’s most famous heads of hair. During the early twentieth century, the eighteen honey-golden ringlets that beautifully framed her face enraptured filmgoers and became a key element in her meteoric rise to stardom. Over time, her tresses — the most admired, coveted, and copied in America during the 1910s — came to symbolize the era. [...] Seeing the Pickford curls was an important part of the program. The “public admired Mary’s versatility,” producer Adolph Zukor later recalled, but people wanted to see her with curls. In fact, the female audience did more than gaze at the star’s hair; they adopted her look for themselves. “All the women in the world are trying to make themselves over into Mary Pickford,” or so it appeared to Dame Fashion in 1915. Previously, Paris designers had been the arbiters of U.S. fashion. Now Pickford became one personification of a new fashion trend. [...] One of the foremost trendsetters, Pickford was a harbinger of things to come as Hollywood, and America’s consumer culture, blossomed.” — Christel Schmidt, from Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies.

Mary Pickford in Fanchon, the Cricket (1915), The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), The Hoodlum (1919), Little Annie Rooney (1925), Sparrows (1926).

#gladyspickford #mary pickford #fanchon the cricket #the poor little rich girl #the hoodlum #little annie rooney #sparrows #mine #marygif #fanchon*#thepoorlittlerichgirl*#thehoodlum*#littleannierooney*#sparrows*#:')#i find sparrows' braids iconic so i had to add them too!

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liamhaydn-blog · 2 years

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Manchester United: Below the Promised Land

On Top of Their Perch

As Sir Alex Ferguson left the Hawthorns’ turf after one final farewell to the travelling faithful, his 1,500th and final match in charge of Manchester United, the sleeping giant he inherited in 1986 were now the envy of the footballing world. Their consistency over the past 20 years had been matched by nobody. Real Madrid, Barcelona, they may wobble for abit now and then as managers came and went, not United. For they had Fergie. For 22 consecutive seasons, they finished in the top 3, nineteen of those in the top 2. There was no team more likely to be there or thereabouts when it came to the end of season honours.

After fighting off calls for his sacking with an FA Cup secured in 1990, United and Fergie would go on to win major trophies in 19 of the next 23 seasons. A first European Trophy since 1968 came in the 1991 Cup Winners Cup and two years later United’s 26-year long wait to be English Champions ended. The following season came United’s first double. In 1996, the Double Double, and then in 1999, the one Sir Alex had always dreamed of, the European Cup, won as part of an unparalleled treble. Manchester United had reached the Promised Land.

By 2002 and the end appeared to have been reached, Ferguson spoke of retirement in a season that ended with Arsenal outclassing United at Old Trafford to snatch away the league title that had resided comfortably there for three years and secure Arsene Wenger’s own double double. For the first time in the Premier League era, United finished outside the top 2. But Fergie ultimately decided against retirement and against expectations, took the title back the very next year. But it was to be United’s only league title in four seasons.

After Arsenal’s Invincibles came a somehow even more immovable looking force, Chelsea. Powered by a Russian Oligarch’s endlessly deep pockets and managed by the swaggering Jose Mourinho, Chelsea spent and won like it was going out of fashion. A 3-0 win over United secured back to back titles for Chelsea, who finished a combined 26 points clear of the Reds over those two campaigns.

Any United fightback against Chelsea emulating their 90′s dominance was made more unlikely by the deeply unpopular takeover of the Glazer family in 2005. The Americans soon saddling the club with huge debts and restricting spending at a time when it looked like nothing but cash splashing could close the gap to Chelsea. But despite the difficult transfer windows that would follow with Ferguson comically repeating his “no value in the market” line to explain lack of necessary signings, the Scot would still establish his third great United side, this one arguably the best of the lot.

2005/2006 would see United make four key signings, though you’d have been forgiven for doubting it at the time. Whilst Chelsea were splashing out on Michael Essien, who had agreed to join United before changing his mind, United were signing a 35 year old goalkeeper from Fulham and Park Ji-Sung, who were joined in January by a left-back from Monaco and a centre back from Spartak Moscow. All for peanuts. In a five year spell that saw United finish third three times and win just 3 major honours, it wasn’t the big money signings fans craved and were now being deprived of.

But by 2008 United were back on top. Not just of England, but the whole of Europe and the World. Defeating none other than Chelsea in the Champions League final, despite a penalty miss from soon to be Balon D’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, signed as a scrawny teenager and polished into the shiniest of diamonds. Alongside him was Wayne Rooney, signed as a not so scrawny teenager, together they had developed to give United the deadliest attack in Europe.

United put together a run of three straight league titles, and three Champions League finals in four years, twice coming short against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. Faced with a formidable opponent, transfer windows such as the one where Ronaldo left for a record breaking £80M and in his place came Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan, Biram Diouf and Wigan Athletic winger Antonio Valencia surely played a part in leaving United short in some departments, of the quality they needed to match the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi.

Another fierce foe was emerging on the home front however, in the shape of noisy neighbours Manchester City backed by huge wealth courtesy of the Abu Dhabi United group. They started by taking United’s Carlos Tevez, and almost convinced Wayne Rooney to join him. Unsatisfied with United’s ambition in the market, he handed in a transfer request but in the end stayed ‘loyal’.

The lowest moment of Ferguson’s United career came at the conclusion of the 11/12 campaign, as Aguero’s Fergie time winner stole the title from United in the dying embers of the season. For the first time, a Ferguson team had really rather thrown it away. Squandering a sizeable lead by somehow drawing from a commanding position at home to Everton, and losing tamely at both Wigan and City.

But Ferguson would not be laughed at for long. The last laugh was always likely to be his, such was his career and character, he was simply too much of a winner to not bounce back. The addition of Robin Van Persie was the key ingredient to Fergie’s and United’s 13th league title in 20 years, and the clubs 20th league title overall.

After the struggle of the first three years, Ferguson amassed an astonishing 38 trophies in 23 years. United had become what everyone wanted their club to be. They were winners, yet still found time to develop youth, bringing through talented players who were happy to spend their entire career at United, not interested in the slightest in playing anywhere else. They managed to find a place for less talented but hardworking professionals, finding a way for them to contribute vitally to overall team glory. They were as their fans rightly put it ‘not arrogant, just better.’

So where did it all go wrong? How did Football’s best performing club transform into its worst? and go from serial trophy winners to an underachieving laughing stock in the process?

The Chosen One

David Moyes always felt he had a chance of one day being offered the Manchester United job and it’s easy to see why. The club had never yet appointed a manager from outside of Britain & Ireland, and not only was Moyes British, even better he was Scottish. Just like the only two great managers in United’s history, Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson. Moyes had shown United he could operate on a meagre budget, thriving at Everton despite the clubs inability to go big in the transfer market. Moyes began his managerial career at Preston North End and took the club from the verge of relegation to the fourth tier, to being just one game away from the Premier League in the space of three years. He arrived at Everton with a couple of months left of the 01/02 campaign as Everton finished below 12th for the 6th straight season. After a good first full season saw the team finish 7th, his second saw Everton fall back to where they had been when he first joined, fighting relegation and the Toffees survived the drop by a single place, their points total of 39 the lowest in the club’s history.

2 key players arrived in the summer of 2004, Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta (originally on loan, later made permanent). With that the club rose a miraculous 13 places, finishing above Liverpool to qualify for the Uefa Champions League. That was as good as it got but continuous shrewd signings over the years such as Tim Howard, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman, Sylvain Distin, Phil Jagielka, Steven Pienaar, Fellaini, Andy Johnson, Louis Saha and Yakubu meant that Everton finished in the top 8 in 7 of the next 8 seasons. The one shot at silverware came in the 2009 FA Cup final after beating United on penalties in the semi-final, but despite taking an early lead they were defeated by Chelsea. So United were to be appointing a manager who had proven he could stay at a consistently good level in relation to his club year after year, but had yet to lift any silverware bar an Old Second division title with Preston.

When the time to be offered the job came, he was in fact not so much offered as told he would be taking over from Ferguson by the man himself, when noone was yet aware Ferguson was stepping down. Upon arriving at Sir Alex’s house in a pair of jeans, he was told “you’re going to be the next Manchester United manager” over several glasses of wine. Moyes later recalled “I never got the chance to say no.” Which goes a way to showing just how unsure Moyes himself was that he was up to the challenge of following on from the greatest managerial stint in football history.

One man who certainly felt up to the challenge and had made as much perfectly clear was Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho. He felt sure that his carefully developed friendship with Ferguson, huge personality and huge medal cabinet would be enough to entice United to overlook any potential shortcomings. Such as his tendency to poke opposing teams coaches in the eye from behind. As it turned out, to Jose’s horror they were unwilling to overlook the risk of his image tarnishing ability, with Sir Bobby Charlton in particular thought to be less than fond of the man. So Mourinho settled for a return to the club that had sacked him six years prior, Chelsea.

On the 1st of July 2013, David Moyes and Ed Woodward were appointed as the manager and chief executive respectively at Manchester United. Moyes signed a Six-year contract. And this was their opportunity for a statement window, to show the type of club Manchester United were going to be in the post-Ferguson era, the world was watching on with interest. In Ferguson’s final summer in charge, United had signed the Premier League’s best player Robin Van Persie from fellow top 4 side Arsenal, the Dutchman choosing the club over then Champions Manchester City. So how would David Moyes first act compare to Sir Alex’s last?

The squad was clearly in need of plenty of work, though champions it had been the least talented and most workman like team of Ferguson’s reign, a league winning team has never I think before or since relied on one player like United relied on Van Persie. So there was plenty of room for strengthening, but the position crying out above all others for reinforcements was the midfield. How bad did United need a midfielder? put it this way, they’d just had to replace the retired Paul Scholes, with Paul Scholes. But having now retired for a second and final time, the need was great for a top midfield player. Luckily for United there was no shortage of them with names linked such as Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcântara, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Mesut Ozil.

But United were terrified of being rejected. Moyes tried to give the impression of being uninterested in them, whilst making it so blatant that the exact opposite was true. And still United refused to make any move, seemingly too afraid of how it would look if they were turned down. The manager didn’t seem to believe a world class player would be interested in signing for him, so opted not to try. He himself admitted at the time "the level I’ve been shopping in the past was not the level Manchester United have been shopping in."

One midfielder they did decide to try for was Bilbao’s Ander Herrera, but that descended into bizarre chaos when three lawyers turned up at La Liga’s offices to help finalise the deal, despite not being asked to do so by Bilbao, the player, Manchester United, or anyone in fact.

As deadline day arrived United had not signed anyone, their first summer window without Sir Alex was in danger of passing without a solitary signing. When Arsenal moved for Real Madrid’s suddenly available playmaker Mesut Ozil, rumours flared that United would look to hijack the deal. Instead Moyes decided against pursuing this possibility and moved for Marouane Fellaini, a player he had managed at Everton. Fellaini became Moyes’ first Manchester United signing for 27.5M pounds. The transfer was to show that Moyes did not feel comfortable shopping in a high end market and making statement signings like Fabregas or Ozil, instead opting for a player he’d already worked with and dealing with a club he already knew so well. Though not that they did him any favours with Moyes paying almost double for Fellaini what he’d paid to bring him to Goodison Park 5 years prior.

It was not only potential incomings that people were interested in that summer but potential outgoings aswell, with the relationship between Ferguson and Rooney completely broken down. Ferguson’s departure didn’t make a Rooney exit look much less unlikely however given Moyes once sued him for things said in the striker’s autobiography about his then Everton manager. But despite bids from Chelsea, Rooney in the end stayed and signed a new £300,000 a week deal, a £2.6M a year payrise which looked like great work from Wayne’s agent given his very best days looked behind him, as his physical capabilities had already shown very clear signs of decline.

The Moyes era began with a 1-0 defeat to Thai All-Stars XI, and the rest of pre-season wasn’t much of an improvement. In 7 friendlies against all extremely weak teams bar Sevilla who were by far and away the strongest, United won just twice. Just pre-season, but a warning. Another warning in pre-season came when Moyes decided a bit of exercise on Bondi Beach was just what the doctor ordered, rejecting security concerns of the players being mobbed by observing “it was fine when I was at Everton.” As United’s security told him: “yes, but you’re at Man United.” Mounted police soon arrived as the beach descended into chaos with fans desperately trying to get close to the team. This was a small example of Moyes’ incapability of adapting to his new environment. It would be a common theme all season, rarely did he ever look comfortable, but overwhelmed and overawed.

Moyes became the first Manchester United manager to win a trophy in his first competitive game, a 2-0 win over Wigan in the community shield with both goals coming courtesy of Van Persie. Another RVP brace followed in the opening Premier League game of the season as United won away at Swansea to go top of the league. It was for the last time. With Chelsea at home and trips to Liverpool and City in his first 5 games, Moyes publicly questioned the fairness of this draw. This was seen as a very negative comment for a Manchester United manager to make. Though likely had a Mourinho said it, it would have been perceived as trying to influence and pressurise the authorities, and playing an early mind-game. But coming from Moyes, it was taken as an admission of weakness.

After a 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea, United travelled to Anfield. The spotlight was on Moyes especially for this fixture, due to his record of never having won away in the Premier League against a member of the traditional big four. A draw being a respectable and hard-fought result on these grounds as Everton manager, that had always been the result Moyes set up for in these fixtures and it was clear he wasn’t able to change this approach. As Rio Ferdinand recalled “as players we were never worried about the opposition before. We never set out thinking we need to contain the opposition. But I remember the first couple of games against Liverpool and Chelsea, we were talking more about Hazard and Coutinho than we were about our own attacking tactics. There’s doubt and players looking at each other thinking ‘This isn’t us. We’re not used to this. We’re better than them, we won the league last year and we can beat these. Put us on the front foot and let us go out and attack these players’.

United lost 1-0 at Anfield but worse followed later that month at the Etihad as a late Rooney goal was the sole consolation in a 4-1 demolition. The following week United were beaten at home to West Brom for the first time since 1978. An unbeaten October and November also saw the emergence of 18-year old Adnan Januzaj and a 5-0 away win to Bayer Leverkusen saw a cause for cautious optimism. This was vanquished with two home defeats in four days at the beginning of December including a first home defeat to Newcastle since 1972 and a loss to Moyes’ recently departed Everton.

By the time a Samuel Eto’o hattrick meant another defeat to top 4 opposition away from home for Moyes, things had begun to look overwhelmingly bleak. They had already exited the FA Cup in the 3rd round with Swansea’s first ever win at Old Trafford, but worse was still yet to come just three days after Stamford Bridge with United falling at home yet again this time to Sunderland in the League Cup semi-finals. In a penalty shootout, United missed four of their 5 kicks.

Rival fans who for whole generations could remember nothing but United success, gloried and revelled in Moyes’ failure, a popular chant of away supporters of the time being the ironically sung “David Moyes is a Football Genius.” he became a target of social media’s meme makers for whom the manager was giving rivals enough laughs in a few months to make up for decades they’d been unable to. This perhaps reached its peak on the day United slung in a ridiculous 81 crosses at home to Fulham, only 18 of which were successful in their 2-2 draw.

In between two 3-0 home defeats to Liverpool and City, United were able to reach the last 8 of the Champions League, a hattrick from Van Persie overturning a 2-0 deficit against Olympiakos in the Dutchman’s last great United performance. In Van Persie’s last two seasons he had featured in all 76 Premier League games scoring 56 times, he played just 21 games in the league this season and scored 12. The absence of Van Persie was perhaps the biggest reason for United’s complete collapse, potentially self inflicted with Moyes thought to have changed the notoriously injury prone striker’s training program to match the rest of the teams. The saying if it ain’t broke don’t fix it comes to mind. A few days after the City defeat, a plane flew over Old Trafford before their match against Aston Villa baring the message “Wrong One-Moyes Out”.

The fanbase which was so recently as United as it’s name behind one Scot, was now fiercely divided over another. Those who heeded Fergie’s message to them to “stand by the new manager” and pointed to Ferguson’s lack of immediate success at the club, and those who felt Moyes woefully out of his depth. His comments that City were at a standard United had to aspire to infuriated many fans who remembered that just last season it had been City finishing comfortably behind them.

United led for a short time in both legs of their Quarter-Final against Bayern, an Evra screamer at the Allianz Arena quickly turned redundant by three Bayern goals. A 2-0 defeat at where else but his former club Everton on the 20th April was to be Moyes’ last match in charge. The result made it mathematically impossible for United to be in next season’s Champions League, considered a minimum requirement for the manager. It had been an absolutely disastrous 9 months for the manager and the club.

A reign which began with replacing a team of popular and successful coaches with the likes of Phil Neville, and did not pick up from there. A host of other bizarre decisions would follow to show this was the blind leading the blind. Ferguson’s final United signing Wilfred Zaha went straight into the team for the Community Shield but disappeared from the team so suddenly despite a promising start that it led to the bizarre rumour he had slept with Moyes’ daughter, which was so widely believed that Zaha himself felt it necessary to address on a tweet. 19-year old Zaha was living alone away from London for the first time, and was left feeling completely isolated by the club in the midst of this saga, as Moyes nor anyone else spoke to him to explain his absence from the pitch or offered any advice on how to handle such intense speculation. Zaha wasn’t the only one tweeting as Ferdinand began using the site in a way he surely wouldn’t have got away with if Ferguson was still the manager, with cryptic tweets galore doing little to disguise his views on the situation.

But what United fans struggled with more than anything bar the results, was Moyes’ talk of “trying” and “hoping”. For them “trying” to stop Newcastle, and “hopefully” getting the right result wasn’t language that filled people with confidence pre-game. After giving it Giggsy till the end of the season, Manchester United finished the 13/14 campaign in 7th place, their lowest position since 1990. Giggs’ 2 wins from 4 games was not enough to convince the club to offer him the big job, so the search resumed for Fergie’s next replacement..

Louis Van Gaal’s Army

On the 19th May 2014, Louis Van Gaal was appointed the first manager of Manchester United born outside of Britain & Ireland. The Dutchman could have been taking the job alot sooner, having been lined up as one of United’s top choices back in 2002 as Ferguson contemplated retirement. Van Gaal had been one of the top managers of the 1990′s perhaps behind only Sir Alex, with Ajax he won three back to back league titles including one without suffering a single defeat. In 1995, Ajax won the Eredivisie, the Dutch Cup, Dutch Super Cup, the Uefa Champions League, the Uefa Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. They almost retained their Champions League crown only being denied by Juventus on penalties.

Next, Van Gaal joined Barcelona winning back to back league titles, one as part of a domestic double. He then left to manage the Dutch National side, but returned to Barcelona as the Netherlands failed to qualify for the World Cup. His second stint was much less successful however, with Van Gaal losing the dressing room and departing after just 6 months with the team in 12th place and just three points above relegation. LVG rebuilt his reputation back in his native Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar. After narrowly missing out on silverware in his first 2 seasons, it looked like Van Gaal’s time at the club was up after an 11th place finish in his third season. He intended to leave, but the players wished for him to stay and so after losing the opening two games of the 08/09 season Alkmaar went 28 games without defeat and won the Eredivisie for just the second time in their history. This earned LVG a move to Bayern Munich and in his first season, he was one game away from completing the treble, but a Champions League final was lost against Mourinho’s Inter. Van Gaal was however sacked before the end of the following season as it became clear the Bundesliga wouldn’t be retained.

He returned for a second stint with the national side and this time successfully qualified for the World Cup. It was on the eve of the 2014 tournament that he would be confirmed as United’s new boss for the 14-15 campaign. Excitement over this appointment grew for United fans after the opening game where the Netherlands thrashed reigning World and European Champions Spain 5-1, with Van Persie getting on the scoresheet and fans looked forward to their continued link up at Old Trafford. The Netherlands ended up finishing 3rd in the World Cup, losing the semi finals on penalties to Argentina, but overall exceeding expectations.

Van Gaal, with his vast experience of coaching big players and picking up silverware wherever he’d been was thought by all to be a much better fit for United than Moyes had been, and many fancied the Moyes era had been nothing but a short blip, that a top class coach in LVG would now immediately go on to rectify. The pre-season results were alot more in line with what United were looking for, his first game being a 7-0 triumph over LA Galaxy. Real Madrid were beaten in front of 110,000 spectators, as were everyone else United faced that summer including rivals Liverpool.

But when the serious business of the Premier League returned, a 2-1 home loss to Swansea, United’s first opening game loss since 1972, made apparent that the problem’s of last season had gone nowhere. The Red Devils picked up just 2 points in their next 2 games away to Burnley and Sunderland, and inbetween that were knocked out of the League Cup in the 2nd round by MK Dons. It was the first time United had entered the competition at the 2nd round stage since 1995 and players such as De Gea, Johnny Evans, Chicharito, Anderson, Danny Welbeck and Kagawa, who a year earlier had been lifting the Premier League title were now on the pitch as United shipped four goals to the League One outfit.

On the same night as this humiliating result, United announced the £59.7M signing of Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid, the largest fee ever paid by a British club. He would be joining fellow new recruits Luke Shaw, bought for 30M from Southampton (the 18-year old left-back becoming the most expensive teenager ever), fellow Argentine Marcos Rojo, Dutchman Daley Blind, Colombian goal-machine Radamel Falcao and Ander Herrera, this summer successfully acquired without any help from Basque based lawyers.

Against Queens Park Rangers, Blind, Falcao and Di Maria all made their home debuts in a 4-0 victory, which saw Di Maria open the scoring and win man of the match. And as United raced into a 2-0 lead inside 16 minutes away at newly promoted Leicester, their fortunes seemed to have fully transformed. Normality seemed restored, United were scoring with ease again with a wealth of attacking talent. A sumptuous chip for Di Maria’s second United goal seemed to exemplify this. Leicester immediately pulled one back, but Herrera’s first United goal reestablished the two-goal cushion. But suddenly, two goals in three minutes saw Leicester draw level, and from there the home side looked the only likely winner as they added another two goals to run out 5-3 winners. United conceded two penalties and went down to 10 men as the whole defence, especially the dismissed Tyler Blackett, were ran ragged by Jamie Vardy and co.

United then lost just 1 of their next 15 league games, which included a six game winning run. This was thanks in large part however to the performances of their goalkeeper David De Gea whose string of impressive saves were covering up for a wobbly defence which featured Tyler Blackett, Chris Smalling and Paddy McNair. Young Blackett and McNair were being asked to replace Ferdinand and Vidic who had both been allowed to depart in the same summer, and with United’s spending more focused on other areas, there was a huge hole in the heart of their defence. Though when the defence was easily bypassed, there was a Spanish goalkeeper whose four limbs meant finding the net remained a challenge.

The unbeaten streak ended with Southampton’s first win at Old Trafford in 27 years. After winning 3 of the next 4 yet another defeat was suffered to Swansea, but then United put together another six-game winning streak in the league, playing their best and most assured looking football since Ferguson. The run featured a 3-0 win over Spurs, a 2-1 win at Anfield with a Mata brace, and a 4-2 win at home to City, ending a run of four straight derby defeats.

The unusual thing about these good performances though was the absence from the starting lineup of Angel Di Maria, who was being kept out of the side by Ashley Young, the Argentine enduring a torrid start to life in Manchester and failing to win over LVG. Also noticeable was the prominence to the team of Fellaini, who had struggled to find acceptance from the United faithful, due to being a Moyes signing and his game rather lacking the sophistication they wanted their team associated with. But it’s effectiveness couldn’t be doubted in this period as Fellaini put his chest and elbows to good use, cushioning everything down in the penalty box and forcing chances.

The one sour spot in this spell was an FA Cup exit at home to Arsenal, made sourer by the winning goal coming courtesy of Danny Welbeck, a United player from the age of eight until 23. Van Gaal was happy to let Welbeck leave citing his goal record against United’s other strikers, which was a fair enough remark but he had no problem finding the Old Trafford goal on this night as Arsenal progressed on the path to securing back to back FA Cups and United were confirmed to finish another season trophyless.

After the derby win, United failed to find the net in their next 3 games, losing them all including a heavy 3-0 defeat at Goodison and a second successive home loss to West Brom. This undid some of their prior work, but a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season ensured a top 4 finish and a return to Champions League football, but it would be as a 4th place team. A 0-0 draw away to Hull in the final game, rather summed up United’s season. It had been steadier and more respectable than under Moyes, though for the talent in the squad, they weren’t exactly pulling up trees. But the main thing was they were back where the club needed to be, in Europe’s premier competition.

In the Summer of 2015, United brought in another Dutchman in 21-year old Memphis Depay, right back Matteo Darmian, vastly experienced quality in Bastian Schweinsteiger who LVG had previously worked with at Bayern and Southampton defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin. With Van Persie, Chicharito and Falcao all allowed to leave, Chicharito seemingly for missing a penalty in an already won Champions League play-off tie with Club Brugge and Falcao after his £6M year long loan deal brought just 4 goals from 29 games, with the player clearly nowhere near yet recovered from a serious knee injury. Another player departing after just 4 goals for the club was Angel Di Maria, United losing £15m on the player. How a player who was a Real Madrid regular before United and a PSG regular immediately afterwards found himself continually benched for Ashley Young is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Looking like leaving the club all summer was David De Gea, who looked likely to join Real Madrid back in his native Spain. Noone would have been surprised, nor able to really blame DDG. As one of the best goalkeepers in the world, it made sense to play at one of the world’s best teams, which United certainly weren’t. In the end though, De Gea remained at Old Trafford, reportedly down to a faulty fax machine, not getting the paperwork complete on time. Different variations of the story exist depending on who’s telling it United or Madrid, but in the end the outcome was the same with De Gea and Navas both staying at their respective clubs. Navas and Madrid went on to win 3 of the next 4 Champions Leagues.

United had managed just 4 goals in their opening 4 league games of 15/16, winning 2, drawing 1 and losing the other, their 4th 2-1 loss to Swansea in their last 5 meetings with them. The man or rather boy decided on to help with the goal problem was Monaco’s Anthony Martial, who replaced Luke Shaw as the world’s most expensive teenager. Costing United atleast 36M, with the potential to rise to 58M, he went some way to paying that back with a fine goal on his debut against Liverpool. Barring one horrorshow at the Emirates where United were blitzed away in the first 19 minutes, United were moving through the season in respectable fashion, going up to 2nd place with a last minute winner at Watford. This was to be their last win for six games however, the sides worst winless run since 1990. During this run, United lost 3 straight league games to Bournemouth, Norwich and Stoke, marking one of the bleakest and sobering moments in the clubs modern history. A 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea ended the losing streak, but was marked with chants from the home crowd for Jose Mourinho, the recently sacked Chelsea manager, as the crowds patience began to wear thin with Van Gaal.

As alongside this awful league run, they had also crashed out of the Champions League group phase and into the Europa League following a 3-2 loss to Wolfsburg in the final game. With United chasing the game LVG introduced defender Borthwick Jackson, defensive midfielder Michael Carrick and Nick Powell, who was making his first United appearance since losing at MK Dons the previous year. Left on the bench as United watched Champions League football slip away was Fellaini and new signings Depay and Martial.

United were drawn against Denmark’s FC Midtjylland in the Europa League and an injury crisis saw them go into the game with 13 players ruled out. This included Martial, whose injury in the warm-up meant a start and first team debut for 18-year old Marcus Rashford who scored twice as United overturned a 2-1 first leg deficit to win 5-1 at Old Trafford. A few days later the same depleted side met title chasing Arsenal and again came out victorious with Rashford netting a second brace.

After exiting the Europa League against Liverpool, the FA Cup emerged as United’s sole route to a first major honour post-Ferguson and a kind draw which saw no Premier League opposition until the Quarter-Finals helped the likelihood. But it still didn’t look all that likely. Moyes had struggled to establish a clear playing style in his time at Old Trafford, Van Gaal’s style was well established, the problem was it was like watching paint dry. No matter the opposition United played every match the same way, with sideways and backwards passing played at a pedestrian pace. An abiding memory of this time is tuning into BT Sport to watch United and seeing Paul Scholes on punditry with a look on his face as though he was being forced to watch someone else suck his daughters toes, such was the pain he felt being made to watch and discuss Van Gaal’s United.

All the same United progressed to their first FA Cup final since 2007 with a credible win at West Ham in the Quarter-Final replay and then by beating Everton with a last minute winner in the semis. They continued to battle with City for a top 4 place and it remained in their hands until the penultimate game of the season, a 3-2 defeat at West Ham meaning they let it slip from their grasp. The final league game at home to Bournemouth had to be delayed meaning by the time it was played 4th was already gone. The match had been postponed after the stadium had to be evacuated for a suspect package had been found, this was subsequently found to have been a hoax. The fiasco meant United were unable to apply last day pressure on City and they missed out on Champions League football by virtue of goal difference. United had found the net 49 times, which was 1 more than 17th placed Sunderland, but 22 fewer than City. Just 32 goals were seen at Old Trafford in 19 Premier League games, making it the most goal-shy ground in the division.

All that was left to salvage that season was the FA Cup, which United came from behind to win in extra-time against Crystal Palace, thanks to Jesse Lingard’s strike. Two days later, Van Gaal and his coaching staff were sacked by the club. The world’s oldest cup competition not enough to compensate the failure to provide the fortune Champions League qualification secures. Van Gaal’s second season brought some of the most boring football seen anywhere in the world, which makes me think United fans must surely have been joking with their song from the time “Woke up this morning feeling fine, got Man United on my mind, we play football the way, the way we should, oh yeah, something tells me I’m into something good.”

Where Van Gaal did start to bring huge entertainment was off the pitch through some of the most bizarre utterances ever heard in English press rooms. Whether it was referring to Chris Smalling as “Mike” Smalling, talking about wanting his players to be horny on the pitch, throwing himself to the ground on the sidelines against Arsenal, shouting about Louis Van Gaal’s Army, wearing sunglasses in the dugout, or his extremely drunk end of season toast, Louis Van Gaal was an endless source of content. Though maybe not the kind of content United fans wanted, as Van Gaal did little to erode the damage to the club’s image that had been done under Moyesey.

Special, Once

If Jose Mourinho’s behaviour in Madrid had given off too many red flags for him to become Ferguson’s immediate successor, by the time he had been shown the door for a second time at Chelsea, United would have had enough red flags to place on each of their stadium seats. Just four months after signing a new four year deal and Mourinho was leaving Stamford Bridge with the defending Champions in 16th place after losing 9 of 16 games.

But United were desperate now. And though things had gotten very ugly, not least with Mourinho dismissing the Chelsea doctor after being seen on camera calling her a “daughter of a whore” for having the gall to treat an injured player, before that there had been success. There had been trophies. As there always was with Mourinho. He had won the league title everywhere he’d been and with this appointment United seemed to say, if he can win it for us, we will just have to accept what comes later.

The Special One first appeared on United’s radar as he sprinted down their touchline to celebrate an FC Porto goal on the route to winning the 2004 Champions League. They would see much more of him over the following years as Ferguson had to produce his very best to catch and then overtake Chelsea to re-establish United as England’s dominant force. A second Champions League title followed in Italy for Jose, as his Inter Milan side achieved the treble. Real Madrid would prove the most challenging job of his thus magnificent career as just 1 league title was won in 3 years. His second stint at Chelsea saw him continue his record of winning the league title at his last 5 jobs across 4 countries.

Mourinho set about assembling the squad to continue his league winning record and began with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a player he had a great relationship with at Inter who was brought in on a free transfer from PSG, where he had netted 156 goals in 180 games. Also brought in was Eric Bailly, a young centre back from Villarreal for 30M and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a midfielder who’d notched 32 assists for Borussia Dortmund the previous season, also for £30M.

But bigger than all of that was the return of Paul Pogba. #Pogback as it was to be known. The world’s first and really only ever Vine footballer was brought back to United for the world record fee of £89M, surpassing the £85M Real Madrid had paid for Bale. Big money for a guy who’d been at the club as a 16-year old but had left just four years prior on a free transfer, with Ferguson unhappy with the way the Frenchman and his agent Mino Raiola had conducted themselves in dealings with the club.

But all that would be forgotten if Pogba could replicate the performances for Juventus and his national side that had convinced United to make him the most expensive footballer in the World. Pogba made his 2nd debut in Zlatan’s home debut, a 2-0 win over Southampton which featured a brace from the Swede. Following a goal on his debut in the 2-1 community shield win over champions Leicester and another on his Premier League debut away at Bournemouth, it had been a successful start for Zlatan and Mourinho. All seemed well until they ran into his fellow new arrival in Manchester, Pep Guardiola. The two men had shared a fierce rivalry in La Liga, as Spain’s two biggest clubs battled it out. The battle was expected to re-commence now in the Premier League, with it widely expected to be one or the other, lifting the title at the end of the coming seasons.

United were well outplayed, and by the time they had lost away at Feyenoord in the opening game of their Europa League campaign and then lost away at Watford by 3 goals to 1, the start of season gloss had well and truly been worn off. In mid-October, a ‘Park the Bus’ performance at Anfield in which United secured the 0-0 draw the manager had gone for, confirmed some fans worst fears about the kind of approach they would now be seeing their club take whilst Mourinho was in charge. Worse followed however on Jose’s Stamford Bridge return with the team trailing for all bar the first 29 seconds of the match, as United were smashed 4-0. Mourinho’s ego was further dented by chants of “You’re not Special Anymore!” from the home fans who had once adored him.

Manchester United then went a club record 25 league games without defeat, although they only took maximum points in 13 of these games. One of said 12 draws in this period came at home to Liverpool in January, where before the game a special “Pogba emoji” was released *insert angry Graeme Souness*. This emoji was displayed on the advertising boards around the pitch, which resulted in being quite the marketing gaffe as they couldn’t have picked a worse game. Pogba, already under pressure after a less than electrifying start to life back at OT, hit a new low in this vital game. Beginning by scuffing a glorious one-on-one opportunity well wide, he then conceded a needless penalty by jumping for the ball with his hands infront of his face, created zero chances and completed just 71% of his passes. His blushes were somewhat saved by a Zlatan equaliser, but it had been a hall of shame performance on a day when United had made such a huge fuss of him.

Also that month, Morgan Schneiderlin was sold to Everton, United being more than a little fortunate to recoup most of the money they had laid out for him, given he had been one of the worst flops in the club’s history. He followed out the door another LVG signing in Memphis Depay who had been allowed to leave that summer after scoring just 7 times in 53 appearances.

At the end of that month Wayne Rooney became United’s all time leading goalscorer by keeping the unbeaten run going with a last minute free-kick at Stoke and Mourinho’s United made their first final available to them by squeezing past Hull City despite losing the 2nd leg. Before another match against Hull City in the Premier League, a video was shared of Pogba and Lingard doing a long dance routine in the dressing room following a training session. With United in 6th place and already out of the title race, and Pogba failing to live up to expectations with his individual displays, this video was taken as a lack of care or concern over the current predicament, with the current mentality and culture in the United dressing room a difficult one to understand or accept for many fans who had been used to the Roy Keane mentality of anything less than 1st is no good. Now they saw players happily messing around whilst the team toiled outside the Champions League spot. The unbeaten ‘streak’ carried on with a 0-0 draw with The Tigers at Old Trafford.

Mourinho won a 4th League Cup as United were able to deny Southampton their first trophy since 1976, though they made hard work of it. Squandering a 2-0 lead, Southampton were a post away from completing the comeback, but it was United who scored the 5th and decisive goal, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring the first and final goal of the day. Another Stamford Bridge defeat meant the FA Cup wouldn’t be joining the League Cup on United’s honours list that season, but they were still competing on the European front. Mourinho bemoaned the “many enemies” his side has after having to face Chelsea on Monday night, FC Rostov at home on Thursday night and Middlesbrough away in an early kick off on the Sunday, a fixture Jose declared United would probably lose due to fatigue (they won 3-1). A big deal was made of a banana being passed around to reach a United player who needed it, in a clear show of just how much the players were feeling their workload in the difficult task of edging through 2-1 on aggregate over a side who finished that season 6th in Russia.

One man who was by now tired of Mourinho’s complaints was Manchester United legend Roy Keane, who said after the game: “I’ve never heard so much rubbish in my life. Why do we have to listen to that garbage? It’s just utter nonsense he’s talking about. He’s managing Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs on the planet and he keeps moaning about fixtures, fatigue. They’ve had an easy ride in the Cups, some good draws. The guys talking absolute nonsense, never heard so much rubbish in my life. Maybe the club’s too big for him, he can’t deal with all these demands. Man United reserves could’ve won that game tonight. I’m sick to death of him. He’s talking about players collapsing, that was easier than a training session.”

The unbeaten run was ended at Arsenal in a 2-0 loss as United surrendered any hope of qualifying for the Champions League via their domestic league and therefore pinned their hopes on doing it by winning the Europa League. They had been outside the top 4 since September and finished in 6th place, lower than both of Van Gaal’s finishes. In the Europa, they stumbled unconvincingly through the rounds, only winning 1 out of 2 legs against Rostov, Anderlecht and Celta Vigo, who were in the tie until the last, squandering a chance to advance to the final on away goals right at the death. In the end it was United who took the place to face Ajax in Stockholm. In the end the final was without drama, as United comfortably beat their inexperienced opponents by two goals to nil.

Mourinho wanted to make clear to everyone just how many trophies his side had won that season by instructing them to lift 3 fingers whilst they attempted to celebrate the trophy, but it didn’t really catch on outside of his coaching staff. The idea of trying to pass off the community shield, league cup and Europa League as some kind of treble, was rarely less likely to catch on than at United where a proper one had been once been done what now felt like a lifetime ago.

In the summer of 2017, Wayne Rooney left the club after 13 years. His time at the club which at its peak had been so good, rather fizzled out in low-key fashion. Joining the club upfront was Romelu Lukaku, secured for 75M pounds from Everton. Also incoming was Victor Lindelof for 30M from Benfica and Nemanja Matic from Chelsea for 40M pounds.

After losing in the UEFA Super Cup final 2-1 against another former Mourinho club Real Madrid, United made a strong start in the Premier League winning 6 of their first 7 before another 0-0 stalemate at Anfield. A shock loss at Huddersfield Town quickly followed by another defeat to Chelsea though and the title already looked out of sight, such was the staggering pace Manchester City were setting. By the time City had won at Old Trafford in mid-December, it already looked near certain, United would have to content themselves with second place. More difficult to accept was a loss against another City, this time Bristol in the Quarter-Finals of the League cup, as United’s defence ended against the Championship side.

3 successive draws to end 2017 meant that City had the title as good as gift wrapped, in the shortest ‘title race’ ever, but United were able to get the better of them in a different race in January, for the signature of Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez. Going the other way in the deal was Mkhitaryan who had been another high profile flop.

After winning a Champions League group featuring Basel, Benfica and CSKA Moscow, United were drew against Sevilla in the Champions League round of 16. In an uneventful first leg, Mourinho appeared satisfied with a 0-0 draw despite the lack of an away goal. This proved a mistake as Sevilla took a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford. United were outplayed comprehensively by the visitors and crashed out at the last 16 stage against a very beatable opponent.

Mourinho launched an extraordinary response to this exit in his press conference before the next game saying: “there is something that I used to call, Football Heritage. The last time Manchester United won the Champions League, which was not a lot of times, was 2011.” *he is corrected, that it was actually 2008, 2011 was the last time they reached the final.* “Since 2011: 2012 out in the group phase. OUT in the group phase. In 2013, out at Old Trafford in the Last 16, I was in the other bench. In 2014, out in the Quarter-Final. In 2015 NO European football. In 2016, out in the group phase, goes to Europa League and in the second knockout, out of Europa League. In 2017, play Europa League, WIN Europa League, with me, and go back to Champions League. In 2018, win the group phase with 15 points in a possible 18, and loses at home in the last 16. In 7 years, the best is the Quarter-Final. This is Football ‘Eritage.” Jose then goes through United’s league finishes in the same fashion, calling United’s highest league finish of 4th in recent years “Football ‘Eritage, is ‘Eritage.” Mourinho using his press conference to downplay the Champions League exit as something to be expected for the club, whilst highlighting his own victories, including ones that came at the expense of his current club, was seen as a bizarre but not uncharacteristic response.

In early April Manchester City had the opportunity to secure the league title against their hated rivals at the Etihad. Going into the game Pep Guardiola revealed Pogba had been offered to United in January by Mino Raiola. On the back of this Pogba’s recently dyed blue hair struck people as decidedly odd ahead of the derby match. As City led 2-0 at the break, it seemed it would be all United could do to just keep the scoreline respectable, but out of nowhere Pogba scored a brace and Smalling notched the winner to ensure City’s crowning moment would not come against their local rivals. Instead it came a week later with United losing at home to West Brom. United ended the season where they had been for almost every week of the campaign, in 2nd place finishing 19 points behind the 100 point total of Manchester City. United’s 81 points was by far the most they had accumulated post-Ferguson but next to Pep’s Manchester City, it was not looked on particularly favourably. Especially given that a considerable part of the reason they had finished as high as second was down to their goalkeeper who was voted United’s player of the season for the fourth time. For context, Schmeichel and Van Der Sar have never won the award, whereas DDG has won it more than any player in United’s history. This in part shows how good De Gea was at his peak, but aswell how much worse the players in front of him have performed, compared to those Schemichel and Van Der Sar played with.

There was still a chance to end the season with some silverware however, as United reached the FA Cup final against Chelsea. Mourinho opted against starting first team regular Eric Bailly, instead going with Phil Jones and it was his mistake that led to conceding the penalty for the game’s only goal. United dominated the ball but never looked truly threatening, as Jose suffered defeat yet again to Chelsea. So Mourinho’s second season at United, the second notoriously being his most trophy laden at other clubs, had passed without a trophy.

If Mourinho’s second season with a club had a reputation for being his best, the exact opposite was true of his third, which is known as Mourinho’s third season syndrome. And the signs were there very early with this one. As United were thrashed 4-1 off Liverpool in a pre-season game in the States, Mourinho used the opportunity to make his dissatisfaction with the board perfectly clear. Just 3 players were brought in, right back Dalot from FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred for £47M and Stoke City goalkeeper Lee Grant. The United board which had been willing to back Mourinho with big signings in prior windows, were clearly unwilling to anymore. It was clear they were only willing to spend big if they faced being outside of the Champions League otherwise. With Mourinho securing 2nd the previous season, they felt he didn’t need much in the way of reinforcements to ensure United remained in the top 4.

But they should have known Mourinho better than that. Noone keeps his chequebook and gets away with it. He lashed out at Woodward, who had already irked him by attending a Rugby match in New Zealand during what should have been a busy time for chief executives, and tales began to emerge that Woodward had vetoed some of Mourinho’s transfer targets. It was apparent that if United did not get off to a good start, things were going to unravel very quickly.

United lost 2 of their first 3 games including a 3-0 home loss to Tottenham which was the catalyst of yet another extraordinary Mourinho rant after the game. “Just to finish, do you know what was the result? 3-0. 3-0. Do you know what this mean? Three. Nil. But also means, 3 Premierships. And I won more Premierships *aloone* than the other 19 managers together. 3 for me, and 2 for them. Respect, respect, respect man, respect, respect, respect.”

In the Champions League, United pulled off a shock win away in Turin, with 2 goals in the last 5 minutes to come from behind to beat Juventus. It looked as though that fine result had been undone with what looked a stalemate at home to Young Boys in the next CL tie, but a last gasp Fellaini winner caused Mourinho to send bottles flying in a truly weird celebration/ cathartic release of pent up frustration.

It was to be the last time Jose had anything of note to celebrate. On the 16th December, a 3-1 loss at Anfield made certain of his fate which had already looked sealed for some time. An all too familiar breakdown in the relationship between him and key figures in the dressing room as training ground footage indicated a complete lack of respect and common courtesy in his interactions with Paul Pogba. Comments made about Luke Shaw after a match against Everton in 2017 showed friction in the dressing room wasn’t something new to this season but it had reached a point of no return and to the surprise of precisely noone Mourinho did not see out his third season with the club.

Ole’s At The Wheel

Jose’s seat in the dugout was to be occupied by United fan favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian taking the job on a temporary basis as caretaker manager. OGS had spent 11 years at United as a player, scoring 126 goals including the most vital in the club’s history, with the injury time winner against Bayern Munich to secure United’s treble. He had begun his managerial career at United with the reserve side, before returning to his native country to coach Molde. 2 league titles and a domestic cup there was enough to convince Premier League side Cardiff City to take a gamble on him, but the move did not work out and he was sacked following relegation and a poor start to life in the Championship saw him win just 9 of 30 matches during his short tenure. He returned to Molde, which is where he was when United appointed him.

Ironically, it was a trip back to Cardiff for Ole’s first game and United ran out 5-1 winners. They were also victorious in their next 5 league games, as Ole became the first United manager to win his first 6 league matches. Including all competitions, the winning run stretched to 8 games, until a 2-2 home draw with Burnley, a game they trailed 2-0 until the 87th minute. The shackles looked as though they’d been let off for United as they now attacked with abandon, scoring and winning with regularity. The so-called “United way” of doing things was being witnessed again, and noone was benefiting more from this new-look, Mourinho-free United, than Paul Pogba who was finally consistently looking more like a 89M footballer, than a 9M pound one.

In the Champions League United were beaten 2-0 at home to PSG in the first leg, but an early Lukaku goal in Paris had them dreaming of a miracle. That dream appeared to end when PSG equalised, but Lukaku scored again as United retook the lead on the night. As the full time whistle approached, it looked as though United were set to achieve “glorious failure” i.e a win in Paris, but an exit from the competition. However, that changed when United won a penalty when a handball was ruled in the box. Rashford slotted it away, and United became the first team in 107 attempts to reach the next round of the Champions League after losing the first leg at home by 2 or more goals. After the game, OGS declared “It’s what we do. That’s Man United. We can go all the way.”

Doing punditry on the game from the BT Sport studio, club great Rio Ferdinand uttered the now immortal dialogue: “Man United might not thank me, but get the contract out, put it on the table, let him sign it, let him write whatever numbers he wants to put on there given what he’s done since he’s come in, and let him sign the contract. Ole’s at the wheel man, he’s doing it, he’s doing his thing, Man United are back.”

And 12 days later, Ole did put pen to paper to become United’s permanent manager, after winning 14 of his first 19 matches. Following this, United won just 2 of their remaining 10 games, losing both legs to Barcelona in a 4-0 aggregate defeat. Though there was some enthusiasm over Ole’s contract signing, there was significantly less over the contract extensions of Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones which took place during the feel-good times of late 2018, early 2019. Jones has long been a figure of great fun for anyone who isn’t a Man United fan, due to his propensity to look like a Sunday league player, whenever he’s not on the treatment table that is. And the message these extensions sent, that United were willing to reward mediocrity was quite an alarming one for fans, who fretted that Solksjaer, so happy to be managing his beloved club, would not wish to rock the boat by demanding the board find him upgrades on such players. And the need for upgrades became perfectly apparent as Lionel Messi tortured Phil Jones at the Nou Camp, in a mismatch on the level of Muhammad Ali facing off against Audley Harrison.

United finished the league season by going winless in their last 5, which included a 4-0 spanking at Goodison Park, a 2-0 home loss in the derby, a draw away to already relegated Huddersfield, and a last day of the season home defeat to relegated Cardiff. United finished the season in 6th place, which is exactly where they were when Mourinho was sacked just before Christmas.

In the summer of 2019, United made Harry Maguire the most expensive defender in football history by paying Leicester £80M for his services. This has proved a rather expensive acquisition, for a player who has looked like a larger-headed, only slightly more talented Phil Jones. Also purchased to strengthen up the defence was Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan Bissaka, who set the reds back 50M. This has also been shown to be a hefty sum, with the player excelling at slide-tackles, and little else, which given the role of the modern full-back in today’s game, is less than ideal.

Only Swansea winger Daniel James was signed in attack, whilst United gave up on Lukaku, selling him to Inter Milan after he’d netted just 12 league goals the previous season. Also joining Inter was Alexis Sanchez, initially on loan, though he would never play for United again. Signed whilst one of the Premier League’s best players, Alexis scored just 5 goals in 45 games for the club. Earning just shy of £33M in wages, he had proven the most expensive “free” transfer in history, given his woeful performances in return.

It would later emerge to little surprise that Alexis’ heart had not been in it at United from the start. He revealed: “There are things that you don't realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things. After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent 'can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal?'. They laughed, I told them there's something that doesn't sit right, it doesn't seem good. But I already signed, I was already there. After the first few months I carried on having the same feeling, we weren't united as a team in that moment." This move marked the end of the original ‘Ole’s at the Wheel’ song, which went: “Ole's at the wheel, Tell me how, how does it feel, We’ve got Sanchez, Paul Pogba and Fred, Marcus Rashford is Manc born and bred”. Having Sanchez and Fred seemed like something you wouldn’t really want publicising anyway. Given their performances, you’d want that hushed up.

United began the season in inconsistent fashion, losing 4 of their first 11 and dropping as low as 14th in late October. United veered from very good to very poor, one week winning away at the Etihad and a couple of weeks later, losing at Watford. After a 2-0 home loss to Burnley, a group of angry Manchester United fans turned up at the gated home of Ed Woodward to make their displeasure clear. Coincidentally, United did not lose again for the remainder of the league season. The turn around was demonstrated by United completing the league double over City, in what would be their last league game for over 3 months owing to the Coronavirus pandemic.

When football returned, there was a comforting familiarity for fans now forced to watch matches from home, as Roy Keane launched into a furious tirade at half time in United’s trip to Tottenham: “I am flabbergasted. If I was Ole, make some changes. Get some lads off the pitch. Maguire?! and De Gea?!? I wouldn’t even let them on the bus after the match. Get a taxi back to Manchester. Shocking. I am disgusted with it. Maguire, De Gea, you should hang your heads in shame. I’m fuming here watching this game of football. I am sick to death of this goalkeeper, I would be fighting him at half time, there’s no getting away from that. I would be swinging punches at that guy. De Gea, the most overrated goalkeeper I’ve seen in a long, long time.”

The arrival and immediate impact of January signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon, and a Premier League record 14 penalties helped see United continue to close the gap on Leicester City in the race for top 4, until they eventually caught and overtook them on the penultimate weekend. Finally, a big money United signing had worked out as Bruno made a clear improvement to the team, making them 1 for about 27, when it came to successful signings. United secured a return to the Champions League by beating Leicester away from home, as they finished 3rd, above Chelsea on goal difference. Despite improving 3 places on last season, United had actually won the exact same amount of points, 66, but had been able to capitalise on a complete Leicester collapse, as they won just 6 of their last 19.

United fell at the semi-final stage in all 3 competitions they entered, first exiting the League Cup to City. Then in a game where every United player barely merited a 3/10 rating, they lost 3-1 to Chelsea at the same stage in the FA Cup. Noticeably worse than the rest was De Gea, his ability seemingly drained ever since a confidence shattering World Cup, he looked on this day as though he would be beaten by anything and everything. And with his once world-class shot stopping having deserted him, this also shone a light on other areas of the keepers game that has always been lacking, such as his ability to deal with crosses and command his penalty area, aswell as his limited kicking ability.

In Europe, United met Sevilla in a one-legged Europa League semi-final held in Germany and got off to the perfect start as Bruno Fernandes scored with their 22nd penalty of the season. The Spaniards came back however to win 2-1 and knock United out of Europe, just as they had done at Old Trafford a couple of years earlier.

With Champions League football secure, the ownership saw no need to go big in the 20/21 summer window, purchasing just two players, one on a free. Van De Beek was signed with clearly little if any thought beyond “he’s an attacking midfielder, and the last attacking midfielder we signed seems to be working out so let’s sign another one.” Cavani was then added on a free, in what looked like little other than an attempt to appease a fanbase which was growing more frustrated by the day as the lack of clear transfer strategy became patently clear.

After a 3-1 opening day loss at home to Crystal Palace, United plunged to new depths on matchday 3 as they were destroyed 6-1 at home to Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham. But they recovered, and rose from 16th position all the way up to 1st on the 20th January with a 2-1 victory at Fulham, inspired by a Pogba playing by far the best football of his United career. Just as it looked like United were in a position to challenge for the league title for the first time since Ferguson, they lost at home to Sheffield United. They would never again retake top spot, having to settle for a distant 2nd, 12 points behind Champions City.

United managed to avoid defeat on the road for the entire season, but their inability to start games well, conceding the opening goal in 16 from 38, meant sustaining a title bid was always going to be a big ask. Making this impossible, was only picking up maximum points in 9 of 19 home games. One of the 10 such home games they were unable to win, was a 4-2 defeat in a rescheduled game against Liverpool. The fixture was originally postponed due to pitch invasion and angry protests outside, due to United’s acceptance of a proposal to join a newly forming European Super League, without ever consulting fans. This action was taken as a clear indication of the ownership's contempt towards the fanbase, which responded by making its feelings known.

United finally got over the semi-final hurdle by reaching the Europa League final by beating AS Roma 8-5 on aggregate. They had lost 4 semi-finals in a row by the time they thumped Roma 6-2 in the first leg, to put one foot in the final and they saw the job out in Rome. Beginning the season in the Champions League they had been forced to make do with the Europa League as they finished the group stage in 3rd place. This was despite winning 3 of their first 4 games, including the trickiest on paper, away to PSG and being in the top 2 at the end of every matchday from 2 to 5. But it looked likely that some consolation was to be found in the Europa League, as England’s 2nd best side would be facing Spain’s 7th.

And on the night Villarreal looked like a 7th best side, the only problem was so did United. After they finally got on top of a game neither side had deserved to win, Villarreal’s Unai Emery responded by making all 5 of his subs before extra-time had begun. Ole didn’t make his first sub until the 100th minute. By then, United were no longer on top and Villarreal were looking the fresher side, because they were. United appeared to simply surrender the chance of winning the game in extra-time and instead settled for the lottery of trying to win on penalties. Ole’s substitutions were made with penalties in mind, if they had been made in order to attempt to win the game during the two hour football match, then an abysmal Rashford would surely have been hooked.

One substitution Ole opted not to make with penalties in mind was David De Gea, who had an awful record when facing penalties. That record got even worse as every Villarreal player including the goalkeeper slotted past him, before he himself stepped up to take United’s 11th penalty and missed to extend United’s trophy drought to 4 seasons, their longest run since the mid-80s. It was the first major trophy won in Villarreal’s history.

Despite this outcome clearly seeming to show that Ole had hit his ceiling and could never be the man to lift major honours as manager, the club offered him a new 3-year deal that summer. United were able to bolster his squad with players who would bring that winning mentality back to Old Trafford. Those being Cristiano Ronaldo, back at the club after 12 years away, and former Real Madrid colleague Raphael Varane, or “Champions League” Varane (y’know because he’s won it 4 times, I guess). The return of Ronaldo was made sweeter by him being heavily linked with local neighbours Manchester City, before opting to return ‘home’. Also joining that summer was another assist king from Borussia Dortmund, former Man City youth graduate Jadon Sancho for £73M.

United made a decent start results wise, with Ronaldo quickly getting himself among the goals. But by the time United had been dismissed 4-2 by Leicester, there was a real fear about the outcome of the upcoming Liverpool home game. But there had been such concerns before, and United had always risen to the occasion or else Liverpool would have an inexplicable off-day. Neither happened this time, as the worst fears of every United fan was realised as Liverpool scored 5 in 50 minutes. Pogba was sent on at half time with United 4 down, and 15 minutes later he was back off, the blue-haired player shown red for a two-footed lunge.

Although clear to anyone who understands football that there was no hope of Ole ever being able to turn it around after such a result, he was not fired immediately after the game. Perhaps because the people who make such decisions at United don’t understand football. And therefore, Solskjaer’s suffering dragged out for a little longer, and took in a derby defeat where United as good as hung on for a 2-0 home loss and then endured a 4-1 humiliation at Watford. Finally enough was enough, and OGS was sacked just a few months after signing his extention. The return of Man United’s spirit had carried Ole along for a while, but that could only ever take them so far and for so long, for the absence of any tactics or in-game decision making was bound to be felt. By the time of the firing, fans of other clubs had long since taken the “Ole’s at the Wheel” chant and belted it out with the same enthusiasm they’d once sang “David Moyes is a football genius.”

Rangnick’s Reds

For many years now, the need for a director of Football at Manchester United has been spoken about and finally in November of 2021, they appointed one. As manager. Rangnick signed a deal to coach the team on an interim basis for 6 months, before stepping into a consultancy role. Though the option of staying as manager beyond the end of the 21-22 season, did seem to possibly be on the table with Rangnick saying: “Maybe if they ask my opinion and everything goes well and we develop the team I might even make the same recommendation to the board that I did at Leipzig twice when I recommended it might be a good idea to keep working with me for one year.” Well, it’s not a bad position to be in, a manager able to recommend himself for a longer contract.

Rangnick’s managerial career began way back in 1983, as he worked his way up from the lowest rungs of German football all the way to the Bundesliga. His best results came with 1899 Hoffenheim, where he achieved two promotions for the club that had never previously played higher than the third tier, and stablised them as a mid-table Bundesliga side. Shortly after leaving and taking a job with Schalke, Rangnick left management for a director of football role at both Red Bull Leipzig & Salzburg. In those 6 years, Leipzig rose from the 4th tier of the German pyramid to a second place finish in the Bundesliga.

Upon taking charge of the United team however, Rangnick had managed just over 100 games in the last 10 years, so whether he would be up to such a high profile and challenging job seemed questionable. Though he did come into the club whilst being acknowledged as the father of modern German coaching methods, which had produced the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralph Hassenhuttl. The Gegenpressing model he is thought to have developed atleast was known to have a place in the modern game as a successful tactic implemented by many of the world’s best sides and coaches, so it seemed as though United were finally atleast trying to mould themselves into a club that could be successful in the modern game. United’s Gegenpressing lasted for all of one game, Rangnick’s 1st, a 1-0 home win to Crystal Palace. Since then, United gave up on it, and Rangnick won just 11 of his first 29 games, for a win percentage of 37.93%, making him statistically United’s worst performing manager since 1971.

Having chosen to stick with a struggling Solskjaer over replacing him with Mauricio Pochettino before he was offered the PSG job, United had now ignored the available Antonio Conte, then current Serie A champion and Premier League winner as recently as 2017, to go with a man more known recently for his work as a director of Football rather than in management. Conte went on to secure Champions League football for Spurs, and United finished 13 points behind them.

It had been said that Rangnick having those 6 months to work with the players would help him to know where the squad needs strengthening and who needs selling, even though it’s likely the new manager will wish to judge for himself anyway, rather than letting Rangnick make all the decisions about his playing squad. Regardless, I don’t think he needed to be first team manager to know this. It doesn’t take a genius, just watching the players on TV would give you enough of an idea. With many players contracts coming to an end, and many others toiling hopelessly out of their depth whilst looking disinterested, it could be pretty easily concluded that many of this current group need to and will leave. If United wanted Rangnick in a consultancy role, it would have made alot more sense to give him that role immediately, with a new managerial appointment at the same time. The move made even less sense than it did at the time when Rangnick confirmed he had taken the Austria National team job, meaning that his new role for United would be reduced to take up just 72 days of his year. Since that announcement, the role has been further reduced by being scrapped all together with Rangnick no longer taking the consultancy position.

Under Rangnick for 24 of the 38 league games, United had their worst ever Premier League season, finishing with their lowest points total of the PL era, with 58. United were also unable to register a positive end of season GD for the first time since 1990, as they conceded as many as they scored, letting in 57 goals, the most they’ve conceded in a league season since 1979, when they played 42 league games. This number was higher than newly promoted Brentford and relegated Burnley. In a season which began with United setting the English Football League record of 29 games unbeaten away from home which stretched across 3 seasons including the entirety of the previous campaign, The Reds ended the season by losing 6 away games on the bounce, the clubs worst away form since 1981. This run included 2 4-0 drubbing’s to hated rivals Liverpool as well as Brighton.

The board brought Rangnick in to help identify the teams problems, but what they probably didn’t bring him in to do was declare all these problems publicly after every single bad result, meaning they was aired often. Rangnick probably originally intended to keep these comments between himself and the board, but as the players threw in the towel game after game, he no doubt realised that this was going to do a lot of damage to his reputation and he did not want all the blame from these results to go on his shoulders, so he opted to throw players under the bus who undoubtedly did not deserve any better. This though has clearly led to a fractured relationship with him and his players, nearly all whom looked unwilling to put a performance in for him, and aswell relationship problems between Rangnick and those who hired him, as they did not want it revealed to the media that they need to sign as many as 10 new players. So the result of all this has been United have as good as wasted 6 months of the season for absolutely no reason. Champions League football was as good as forfeited, the remainder of the season was given up on as Rangnick won just 11 games in six months. And it’s turned out to be for absolutely nothing as he’s now left the club without going on to a consultancy role. Perhaps United felt he had nothing left to advise them, as they could just read through all his press conferences with the media to find out what they needed to know going forward. It’s been the latest in any number of bad decisions the club has made for almost the entirety of this near-decade long post-Ferguson era, but the Rangnick debacle has been the most embarrassing and damaging moment for the club since the David Moyes days.

A Decade of Disaster and Disappointment

Since Ferguson’s retirement, United have spent over £1 Billion in initial fees on 33 players (31 permanent, 2 loans) to look at them wrote down is to look at a near total list of flops, players who didn’t work out despite being very good before and immediately after, and players who have remained at United only to stagnate and quite often decline.

Here the signings are listed with a rating out of 10 for their performances for United in relation to their cost and their ability based on performances elsewhere.

Fellaini, 27M- 5/10. Often given a bit-part role in the side regardless of manager, on the big Old Trafford pitch he could never physically dominate opposing teams as he had at Goodison park in the blue of Everton, looking like nothing more than a clumsy bully alot of the time.

Mata, 34M- 5/10. Made a decent contribution for the first couple of years, since then has been kept around seemingly for being a nice guy and writing good blogs. Never looked the player he had been at his peak with Chelsea.

Di Maria, 63M- 2/10. Since leaving the club after being benched by Ashley Young, he’s gone onto be the top assister in PSG’s history. He registered 24 the season after leaving United. It’s not me, it’s you.

Shaw, 30M- 6/10. For years he fell way short of delivering what he had promised to as a teenager at Southampton, then eventually he did become a decent full-back for a little while, even winning United’s player of the season award (the competition that year was admittedly dreadful). And everyone got very excited. And now he’s gone back to playing crap again.

Herrera, 29M- 7/10. Was actually fairly good for United. So ofcourse he was allowed to leave on a free to PSG after 4 years.

Rojo, 16M- 2/10. Yeah, not a good defender. Somehow allowed to rack up 122 games for the club across the SEVEN years he was allowed to remain there.

Blind, 13.8M- 4/10. He’s been good for Ajax before and since United, and remains on course to win 100 Netherlands caps, so he can’t be as average as he often looked for United.

Falcao, 6M (loan)- 2/10. Was clearly nowhere near recovered from a career-threatening injury, he’d suffered the previous year. United maybe should have known that if you’re getting one of the best strikers in the world for just £6M, it’s probably too good to be true.

Martial, 36M- 4/10. Started off looking like a great talent, but didn’t improve as he went from teenager to mid-20′s. Never kicked on as laziness became synonymous with his game.

Schneiderlin, 25M- 1/10. To be fair, he looked alright at Southampton. Turns out he was crap. Unless giving slow 5-yard passes backwards and sideways, he was great for that, anything else however..

Depay, 25M- 2/10. United were abit too quick to give up on him. Some players they’ve given loads of time too, Depay was only given a season, his first outside of his native Netherlands as a 21-year old. Has gone on to have a pretty good career.

Darmian, 12.7M- 3/10. Looks fine in the Serie A, winning the title with Inter after leaving United. Never looked up to much at United, but unlikely to be the player’s fault given how many players have failed to work out there.

Schweinsteiger, 6.5M- 3/10. Seemed a smart signing at the time, and at a bargain price. But obviously this is United, so it turned out he moved about the pitch like a 55-year old.

Pogba, 89M- 4/10. Occasionally he’s brilliant, just as often he’s pretty crap, but most often he’s fairly average. He’s had two good half-seasons in 6 years. Overall, United would have been better off leaving him and his agent where they were.

Mkhitaryan, 30M- 3/10. Joined United after a 54 g&a season for Borussia Dortmund. Scored just 13 in 63.

Bailly, 30M- 3/10. Plays, does alright, gets injured.

Lukaku, 75M- 5/10. Decent first season, poor second. Went to Italy and hit two 30-goal seasons.

Matic, 40M-5/10. A guy who’s just kinda there, but isn’t usually noticeably too bad. And for a United player who cost £40M, you can’t expect much more than that..

Lindelof, 30M- 3/10. Has never looked good enough.

Fred, 47M- 4/10. At his best, on a very good day he’s a decent water carrier for the rest. But too often, he hasn’t been at his best and on those days he looks truly out of his depth.

Dalot, 19M- 3/10. Hasn’t done much yet, but has only been there 4 years. It’s early days..

Grant, 1.5M- N/A. 3rd choice keeper, only played twice.

Maguire, 80M- 3/10. Eighty. Million. Pounds. Sterling. Are you Jonesy in a *not very good disguise*? Has done the legacy of Phil Jones proud, honouring the great man with a whole host of calamitous mistakes this season.

Bruno Fernandes, 47M- 8/10. By far United’s best post-Ferguson signing. Made an unbelievable start, numbers and performances have dropped significantly this season but still a decent footballer.

Wan Bissaka, 50M- 3/10. For 50M, you’d hope a player would develop into atleast one of the best 3 players from his country in that position. But the wait goes on for AWB to win a first England cap, and it will be a very long wait. Hasn’t developed atall since joining the club.

Daniel James, 15M- 3/10. He’d be alright if football was just about running fast. Ask him to do a bit of crossing and shooting and there’s a problem.

Ighalo, 10.5M- 4/10. United paying over 10M just to loan Odion Ighalo off Shanghai Shenhua for a bit was one of the most bizarre transfer moves in recent times. However, he didn’t look as out of his depth as he might have, and it made a guy’s dream come true, I suppose.

Van De Beek, 35M- 2/10. 2 goals in 50 games for 35M, not a great return for an attacking midfielder, no.

Diallo, 19.1M- N/A. Cost United just shy of 20M, after just 5 games as a professional for Atalanta. Hasn’t appeared in many more since joining United, so too early to tell.

Telles, 15.4M- 4/10. Another guy who’s just there. Rarely spoken about for good or bad reasons.

Sancho, 73M- 3/10. A top talent who has struggled badly at the beginning of his United career. 1 goal and 0 assists in his first 18 Premier League games is a shocking return for a player who was near the top of both charts in the Bundesliga.

Jadon Sancho registered 20 assists in each of his 3 full seasons in the Borussia Dortmund senior squad, if he had moved to any other club in the world and registered an assist in just 1 of his first 31 games, I would have been amazed. But given it’s happening at United, it can’t really register as a shock. This is just what happens now at this football club. A great player arrives and in a matter of weeks he looks unrecognisable. If it can go wrong, it does go wrong. Sancho could have signed for any other football team in the world, and he would not have struggled as much as this.

For years now a pattern has developed of the only player who seems to be able to thrive at United being the latest youth product to emerge in attack. This goes all the way back to Adnan Januzaj under David Moyes, next it was Anthony Martial, then Rashford followed by Mason Greenwood and now Anthony Elanga. They instantly become pretty much the best outfield player in the side, until they too become infected with the same mediocrity which runs through the rest of the side. A combination of player apathy, coaching incompetence, and a lack of willingness to take drastic action across all departments has left United in a deep rot.

And United don’t have a clue how to get themselves out of this mess, they sign players who *should* work, and yet they never do. Players brought into the club never improve, the only option seems to be stagnation or decline, the coaches at the club just cannot make any player better. Take for example Wan Bissaka who made a good start to his career at Crystal Palace. He is now 24 and in his third season at United, and the club have not been able to work with him to improve in any aspect of his game. Over 100 games for a club as big as Man United, and he looks every bit a Crystal Palace level player.

United have undoubtedly spent big at times, but always when they’ve had to overspend due to under-spending the previous summer. They’ve never spent big when in a position to kick on, the two clear examples are the summer of 2018, when after finishing 2nd and amassing over 80 points, only Fred and Dalot were signed in a window before the beginning of Jose’s 3rd season, meaning it was always near certain that it would be vital to get Mourinho some players that he actually wanted. Instead the board told him no. The other time United neglected to spend was in the summer of 2020, when just Van De Beek, Telles and Cavani on a free came in. It was clear that the manager had no say on any of these signings and certainly never wanted VDB. United had the opportunity to kick on by backing Solksjaer as he got the club back in the Champions League in his first full season, but the board are not interested in kicking on.

Their interest is solely qualification for the Champions League, and whilst the club is in it, they will look to spend as little as possible. The chequebook only comes out when United are in danger of missing out on Champions League football for two straight years, which induces panic. By this time United are in a position where they need to overpay for players as they are not buying from a position of strength.

Ed Woodward, in charge of transfers in the post-Ferguson era never even seemingly tried to work alongside the current manager when looking to acquire players, the manager has often been treated by the club as though his input when it comes to signings doesn’t matter much, United will sign players who sell shirts and get good social media interaction, and if you can then just fit them into the group as best you can, that’d be great.

Woodward’s top priority always seemed to lay elsewhere, in securing sponsorship's and official ‘club partners.’ Woodward has won praise and appreciation from the Glazers for acquiring such things as ‘official noodle partners’ for the club. Yeah, getting a company to want to partner with the biggest club in the biggest league in the world’s biggest sport must have been *so* difficult.

United’s sole hope of finding a way back lies in finding another great manager. They have opted for Erik Tan Hag and they need him to do for them what Klopp’s done for Liverpool, drag them out of mediocrity kicking and screaming back to the top table of Europe’s elite. Ten Hag has had success everywhere he’s been, most notably at Ajax where he has won 3 league titles and brought the team to their first Champions League semi-final this Century. The challenge this Manchester United job currently presents however is a few levels up in difficulty from anything he’s faced before.

Anyone who isn’t amongst one of the top few coaches in the world, won’t be nearly good enough for the re-build required to re-establish Manchester United as a force in English football. Is Ten Hag among that handful of the World’s best coaches? he’s made a promising start to his career, but it remains to be seen. This season is the 9th in which United have failed to add to their 20 league titles, and a drought of a similar length to the one Ferguson ended currently looks a lot more likely than the title returning to Old Trafford anytime soon.

They have immediately fell from the best performing club in the world for the 2 decades between 1993 and 2013, to the worst performing in the decade since, unless something truly remarkable and wholly unexpected happens in the year remaining to make up 10 post-Fergie years. Given the clubs resources, the money paid out in transfers and wages, winning just 3 major honours in 9 years and finishing in the top 4 on just four occasions in that time, is failure just incomprehensible in scale. Since Ferguson left United haven’t once finished in the top 4 and won a trophy in the same season, that includes the community shield, no other club anywhere has fell so far below what should be expected of them.

#manchester united #mufc #premierleague #epl #champions league #cr7 #cristiano #ronaldo #pogba #paulpogba

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Are There Republicans On The House Intelligence Committee

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-there-republicans-on-the-house-intelligence-committee/

Are There Republicans On The House Intelligence Committee

Gop Delay In Naming House Intelligence Committee Members May Have Cost Mueller

Republicans On House Intelligence Committee Call On Adam Schiff To Resign

WASHINGTON House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., formally named the nine Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee Wednesday, ending a weekslong delay that may have cost special counsel Robert Mueller valuable time to act on potential leads the panel could offer just as he appears close to wrapping his investigation.

Democrats now in the majority on the Intelligence Committee had vowed that one of their first acts would be to authorize the release of more than 50 witness interview transcripts to Mueller to aid in his probe. At the least, members have said they had reason to believe some witnesses lied to the panel, something that has already led Mueller to bring charges against Trump allies.

It is likely that Mueller and his team of investigators have had access to the committees transcripts, two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News. But while the committee voted unanimously last September to authorize the release of redacted transcripts of most of their Russia-related interviews, the then-GOP majority rejected a Democratic motion to provide all transcripts, including classified materials, directly to Mueller.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the committee, told NBC Wednesday that even if Muellers team has seen the transcripts, they have been limited in what they could do with that information.

Schiff said that Republicans had done own party a disservice in waiting so long to name members.

House Intel Republicans Plan To Wall Off Their Aides From Democratic Staffers

In a sign of increasing partisan hostilities, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee plan to construct a wall — a physical partition — separating Republican and Democratic staff members in the committee’s secure spaces, according to multiple committee sources. It’s expected to happen this spring.

For now, some Republican committee members deny knowing anything about it, while strongly suggesting the division is the brainchild of the committee’s chairman, Devin Nunes, R-California.

“I’m not part of that decision,” said Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas. “You’ve got to talk to Devin. I don’t know what they’re trying to do one way or the other.”

“I swear to God I didn’t know that,” said Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Florida, when asked about the plan. While acknowledging a wall might not be constructive for the committee’s work, he said, “The level of trust and the level of everything down there is — it’s poison. It’s absolute poison down there.”

Rooney said one reason for the tension is an erosion of trust, exacerbated by an ongoing ethics investigation into the “entire Republican staff,” including “the woman up front that answers the phone” for alleged leaks. He later added that the matter was being handled by the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Bipartisanship, he said, “is gone. It’s gone from that committee.”

The ranking member of the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, does not want to see a partition built.

United States House Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence

Seal of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence History Jurisdiction Purpose to “oversee and make continuing studies of the intelligence activities and programs of the United States Government” Oversight authority

Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research Subcommittee

Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation

Intelligence Modernization and Readiness

Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support

Website .gov

The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence , also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Adam Schiff. It is the primary committee in the U.S. House of Representatives charged with the oversight of the United States Intelligence Community, though it does share some jurisdiction with other committees in the House, including the Armed Services Committee for some matters dealing with the Department of Defense and the various branches of the U.S. military.

The committee was preceded by the Select Committee on Intelligence between 1975 and 1977. House Resolution 658 established the permanent select committee, which gave it status equal to a standing committee on July 14, 1977.

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Devin Nunes Republican Of California The Ranking Member

Mr. Nunes, 46, who led the committee until Democrats reclaimed the House this year, came under pressure and stepped aside from the panels inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election after the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating accusations that he had disclosed classified intelligence reports. His home newspaper, The Fresno Bee, called him Trumps stooge after he sought to release a secret Republican memo that suggested the F.B.I. and the Justice Department abused their authority to obtain a warrant to spy on a former Trump campaign adviser. Mr. Trump calls Mr. Nunes an American hero. A former dairy farmer, Mr. Nunes has also made headlines for , .

Cowardly Clarification: Adam Schiff Says The Essence Of Muellers Testimony Is That Trump Is Unpatriotic

Rep. Adam Schiff weighed-in on Robert Muellers disastrous testimony Thursday afternoon; saying the essence of the former special counsels testimony is that the President is unpatriotic.

Rep. Adam Schiff: “Even though was reluctant, as you can imagine, to provide the soundbite ‘the President is immoral, the President is unpatriotic,’ that is the essence of what he had to say.”

The Hill

He was a reluctant witness Even though was reluctant, as you can imagine, to provide the soundbite the President is immoral, the President is unpatriotic, that is the essence of what he had to say, clarified Rep. Schiff.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi doubled-down on her Obstruction of Justice accusations against President Trump Wednesday evening; saying the American public must understand what President Trump is trying to cover up.

As we legislate for the good of the American people, we are also investigating to make sure that Americans have the truth and understand the gravity of the threat to our democracy. They must understand what is trying to cover up, posted Pelosi on social media.

Nancy Pelosi

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “The American people now realize more fully the crimes that were committed against our Constitution.”

The Hill

Read Also: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Mccarthy Sought Democrats Removal Following Axios Report About Suspected Chinese Spy

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., walks inside the Capitol on Feb. 10.

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WASHINGTON The House has dismissed a Republican attempt to remove California Rep. Eric Swalwell from the House intelligence panel over his contact more than six years ago with a suspected Chinese spy who targeted politicians in the United States.

Democrats scuttled the effort from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, 218-200, after he forced a vote. His resolution against Swalwell cited information, first reported by;Axios,;that the suspected spy, Christine Fang, came into contact with Swalwells campaign as he was first running for Congress in 2012. She also participated in fundraising for his 2014 campaign and helped place an intern in his office, the report said.

Federal investigators alerted Swalwell to their concerns and briefed Congress about Fang in 2015, at which point Swalwell says he cut off contact with her. Authorities have not charged him with any wrongdoing.

McCarthy requested his own briefing about Swalwell after the Axios report in December. After the briefing, which was also attended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, McCarthy said he thought Swalwell should be removed.

Swalwell has been one of Trumps sharpest critics, and served as a House impeachment manager during the former presidents second impeachment trial last month. He briefly ran for president in 2019.

Republicans argued then that Democrats shouldnt decide who Republicans appoint to committees.

Eric Swalwell Democrat Of California

Mr. Swalwells short-lived presidential campaign has raised his profile, and he is a frequent guest on cable news shows. A staunch critic of Mr. Trumps foreign and immigration policy, Mr. Swalwell, 38, also serves on the House Judiciary Committee, which means that after hearing evidence against Mr. Trump, he will also participate in drafting impeachment articles. Donald Trump is going to be impeached whether it is by the ballot box or Congress, Mr. Swalwell said this year. It will just be a matter of which one comes first.

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Russian Lawyer At Trump Tower Meeting Had Closer Ties To Kremlin Than Previously Disclosed

Democrats contend a more rigorous investigation would have shown otherwise. In their Minority Views report that was also released Friday, they point to a strong possibility that then-candidate Donald Trump himself was communicating with his son as he worked to schedule the now-infamous Trump Tower meeting in June of 2016 with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer.

Their report also details how George Papadopoulos, dismissed by Trump advisors as a low-level coffee boy, was regularly in touch with Kremlin-linked individuals and top Trump officials during both the campaign and transition. Papadopoulos was informed in April 2016 that the Kremlin had dirt on Clinton in the form of emails, well before the Clinton campaign or DNC officials were aware of hacking.

And the Democrats findings include efforts by the Kremlin to establish a first contact with the Trump campaign through an intermediary at the National Rifle Association. In May 2015, the NRA member reached out to Rick Dearborn, a longtime aide to then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., now the attorney general, to inform him of Russias interest in connecting with the campaign.

For reasons that we can discuss in person or on the phone, the Kremlin believes that the only possibility of a true re-set in this relationship would be with a new Republican White House, the NRA member wrote in an email turned over to the committee. Putin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr. Trump.

Top Gop Lawmakers Call For Swalwell To Be Removed From Intelligence Committee

Top Republican on US House Foreign Affairs Committee says Taliban holding Americans

Top Republicans in the House are calling for Rep. Eric SwalwellEric Michael SwalwellOvernight Defense & National Security Milley becomes lightning rodThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by National Industries for the Blind – Schumer: Dem unity will happen eventually; Newsom prevailsHow lawmakers aided the Afghan evacuationMORE to be removed from the Intelligence Committee following reports that he was allegedly targeted by a woman believed to be a Chinese spy.;

In a letter sent Tuesday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Because of Rep. Swalwells position on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, his;close;interactions with Chinese intelligence services, however unintentional they may be, are an unacceptable national security risk, they wrote.;

It said the panel handles some of the most sensitive information our government possesses,” and that as a result Swalwell should be removed from his position.;

Axios first reported that Swalwell had been targeted by an alleged Chinese Ministry of State Security operative named Christine Fang, who also goes by Fang Fang. The woman, according to the report,;helped Swalwells fundraising during his 2014 reelection campaign and she also helped place an unpaid intern inside his office.;

The lawmakers said that Swalwell should be held to the same standard as Sessions, arguing that his interactions with the Chinese agent were more dangerous.

Fang left the country in 2015 during the FBI investigation into her activities.;

Don’t Miss: Did Trump Say Republicans Are Stupid

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Officers Give Harrowing Testimony On Their Experience Defending The Capitol On Jan 6

Pelosi previously rejected two of the five Republican members originally selected for the panel by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio citing “statements and actions” made by the pair that she felt would “impact the integrity of the committee.” Both Banks and Jordan had publicly expressed concerns over the panel itself.

“The unprecedented nature of Jan. 6 demands this unprecedented decision,” Pelosi said.

McCarthy called Pelosi’s move “an egregious abuse of power” and pulled all of his five picks from the panel, announcing that Republicans will conduct their own separate investigation into the Capitol attack.

Here’s a closer look at the panel’s nine members.

You May Like: Republican Challengers To Trump 2020

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Val Demings Democrat Of Florida

Ms. Demings, 62, is the no-nonsense former chief of the Orlando, Florida police department, the first woman to hold the position. The youngest of seven children, she likes to tell the story of how she was born in a two-room wood-frame house in Jacksonville to parents of very modest means; her mother worked as a maid and her father was a janitor. Like Mr. Swalwell, she is also on the Judiciary Committee, which means she will both listen to evidence and help draft any impeachment articles. In questioning witnesses, she often draws on her law enforcement experience.

Don’t Miss: Why Are Republicans Wearing Blue Ties

House Intelligence Committee Releases Full Report On Russia Investigation

WASHINGTON The House Intelligence Committee on Friday released the final full report on its controversial investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, detailing work that led Republicans to conclude there was no evidence of collusion with the Trump campaign.

Democrats on the committee said the final 250-page document only shows the lengths to which GOP leaders went to shield President Donald Trump and his top allies from scrutiny, and used their own rebuttal to introduce to the public new information about repeated Russian efforts to establish contact with key Trump campaign officials and Trump himself.

And they say Republicans refused to press key witnesses for further testimony or documentation that might have further established the Trump campaigns complicity in an effort to tilt the election against Hillary Clinton.

Mccarthy Tasks House Intelligence Republicans To Investigate Nsa

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy directed Republicans on the Intelligence Committee to investigate the National Security Agency over concerns of “politicization.”

There has been a “disturbing trend” at the agency, the California Republican said Wednesday, following the Biden administration’s move to sideline Michael Ellis, a top NSA lawyer picked by former President Donald Trump, extending to this week when Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed he was being spied on by the NSA.

“Earlier this year, I sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Austin expressing concern over the politicization of the Agency through the sidelining of Michael Ellis as NSA General Counsel,” McCarthy said in a statement. “I asked that Mr. Ellis be reinstated and expressed my concern regarding undue political influence in NSA placing Mr. Ellis on administrative leave.”

MATT GAETZ CALLS FOR INSPECTOR GENERAL INVESTIGATION INTO TUCKER CARLSON NSA ALLEGATIONS

“The NSA cannot be used as a political instrument, and House Republicans will ensure accountability and transparency,” he added.

McCarthy also insisted the agency has “refused to deliver information requested by the Republican Members on the House Intelligence Committee.”

The latest incident outlined by McCarthy broke into the public eye on Monday when Carlson said a government whistleblower told his team the NSA is “spying” on their electronic communications and is “planning to leak them in an attempt to take this show off the air.”

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House Shoots Down Gop Leaders Effort To Eject Eric Swalwell From Intelligence Panel

The House shot down a bid from the Republican leader Thursday to kick Rep. Eric Swalwell from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence over allegations that a Chinese spy raised funds for his congressional campaign years ago.

Democrats rejected the resolution from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on a party-line vote of 218 to 200, in which three Republicans voted present refusing to take a stand for or against McCarthys measure. Those Republicans were Reps. Kelly Armstrong , Michael Guest and David Joyce .

McCarthys resolution sought to oust Swalwell from the intelligence panel over the fact that he has not denied public reporting that a suspected Chinese intelligence operative helped raise money for his campaign and helped interns seek potential positions in his congressional office.

The resolution marks an escalation in McCarthys campaign to see Swalwell removed from the panel, which began in earnest late last year when the allegations about Swalwells ties to a suspected Chinese operative known as Fang Fang, or Christine Fang, first emerged in a story in Axios.

The speaker and minority leader appoint members to serve on the Intelligence Committee without the formal input of other members.

Leading Democrats again defended Swalwell on Thursday in the face of McCarthys latest move.

Every Democrat is now on the record, he . They chose politics over national security.

0 notes

kingdomofbretonxrpg · 3 years

Photo

Congratulations, Steph! We are delighted to welcome Taney Hana to beautify (and sleep with) the citizens of the Kingdom of Breton. Please complete our after acceptance checklist. We are looking forward to seeing you develop her! Please send in her blog within 48 hours.

Out of Character

Alias: Steph (or Natty if you already have a Steph)

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Age: 31

Timezone: EST (US)

Anything else? I’m a teacher so while I will likely be extremely active this month that will change Aug. - May. Though I anticipate I should still be able to meet activity requirements, if that changes I won’t ghost, I’ll communicate what’s going on.

Character

Name: Taney Hana - She does not use her last name, but if she needs one: Derrien (you can change that if you’d like)

Birthdate and Age: 17 April + 31 years old

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Faceclaim: Rooney Mara

House Affiliation: Anjou

Profession: Owner of a exclusive private tattoo parlor, Asmodeus, Artist + Tattooist

Claim: Unclaimed

Children: None

Designation: Dominant

Sexuality: Identifies as “sexual” but we can call it pansexual if we need a deeper label

What is their symbol?: Has a sword with roses tattooed on the back of her right arm, but she has a lot of tattoos, so she’ll usually also wear earrings, necklaces, and rings with swords. If she’s wearing any shield symbol it would still have swords paired with it.

Kinks: Everything.

Anti-kinks: Taney’s never tried anything she didn’t enjoy and is open to trying anything 3 times before giving up on it. However, I’m not willing to write any play with bodily fluids other than blood; pretending to be adult/parent-child/step-child, incest, stepcest, etc.; pretending anything involving being a minor or assaulted. If the mun writing opposite wants to post a canon that their character came over and they pretended they were in some professor-student ‘give me an A if I xyz,” then they have my permission to godmod.

Biography:

There comes a time in every person’s youth when they go from playing with toys and being carefree to learning about the real world and worrying about something or other. For Taney, that happened a bit earlier than it had for everyone else. Her father was less than discrete when it came to cheating on his claim. Those submissives weren’t all completely competent, either. When it came time to put him in line, the man was nowhere to be found. His claim was left home alone with Taney and her older sister, Whitney. The shame of it all seemed to be unrelenting, taking a major toll on the girls’ mother. As submissive after submissive from every city he ever took a ‘business trip’ to seemed to pop into their lives looking for Master Derrien - some of which had children, it was Whit who took on the responsibility of raising Taney. It was saying a lot. Taney had always been a handful and as she went into school it was of little surprise that she’d be in near-constant trouble those first few years. At first, she wouldn’t stand for anyone speaking ill of her father, then her mother, then her sister or herself. Eventually everyone got what she was putting down, but nevertheless, it forced her to grow up.

When she was fifteen, nine years later, her father turned up for an unannounced visit. With no words exchanged about her mother and the obvious arrival during that transition time between school and when she would get home from work, Taney would later look on that moment and think that she should have known things were going to go down hill. Taney had already changed a bit and become very independent as that was the only way to survive a friendless childhood where your family name was known all too well. She took to sketching, drawing on herself in class, rarely doing anything she was told. Bad behaviors only made worse when, in these secret visits, her father tried to convince her that she could go live with him in the City of Lights with a new mother that would love her very much. He went on about it and tried to explain arranged claims to her, it wasn’t the first time she’d thought about love and the dom/sub dynamic, but she had learned right from wrong. It also helped that Whitney didn’t seem to be buying into a word he said either. Pulling a knife and lighter, she kept on her person in case she ran away and needed it, Taney stabbed his hand and lit his sleeve on fire. The punishment for the attack was both literal and social. People either admired her or feared her and, with some unwilling therapy, she was lucky enough to face long term repercussions for the attack- mostly because it led to the delayed punishment of her father.

With money running low, Whit joined her mother and had taken up a job at Castlebrac while Taney bounced around from school to school. Simply put, it wasn’t enough to cover their father’s debts and mother’s habits. Once Taney was of age she made the decision, albeit one her mother and sister would deem to be ungrateful, and dropped out of school to complete a general education degree and get out of dodge. Taney had very little knowledge of the ‘real world’; she had practically no ambitions. Nevertheless, the desire to walk away from Breton and never look back seemed more appealing than anything else. So she waitressed, did an office admin gig, played guitar in a mediocre cover band for weddings, this and that, until she’d saved up a decent amount of money. Moving to California for a while she lived on the streets and sold her body for drugs and money. State by state and country to country, she said she’d try her luck in some place new and always did put in a decent effort- at least at first. Taney worked as a bartender, tattoo artist, mechanic, technician, and drug dealer as she made her way around the globe, a young woman consumed by wanderlust and living in hostels or cheap motels until the money ran out.

Taney arrived in New York at twenty-four and it would be the first place she managed to live a whole year. Something about putting down roots encouraged her to spend every bit of strength to stay sober and clean, smoking and drinking remaining her only vices. Noted as short tempered but sweet once you got to know her, Taney was the hostess at a bondage bar in the city called Paddles. Though her everyday look wasn’t as rough and tough as it used to be when she lived on the streets, she still had a very particular air about her- especially when she was at work, and sometimes when she’s not- particularly in the bedroom. Her ability to flirt (or taunt) people into curiosity led to two things, a career change back into sexwork and an unaddressed addiction to something more taboo. However, after an unsavory interaction with a famous client, the company offered an exorbitantly large settlement, giving her an opportunity she never thought she would have. The settlement meant more than an opportunity to travel or leave the job, it was her ticket home.

Feeling like the runaway gig was officially a bust, she tried to reach out to her family in Breton. Whit was the one that told her their mother was ‘gone’ and left it at that. The bitterness of being left behind never sat right with Whitney and the chasm between the sisters only grew when Taney offered her part of the settlement as a way for Whitney to find her own path. Whitney agreed to take what Taney was offering, claiming that it would help her settle some debts. Then, while Taney decided how she wanted to make her way back to Breton, she got a call from a member of House Anjou. Whitney was missing, debts certainly not paid and when she’d been told her mother was ‘gone’ it was a similar scenario. Taney settled into more traveling rather than going back. Maybe a part of her was looking for the family that abandoned her- or she’d abandoned. All the while she honed her craft as a tattooist, growing a clientele through social media and word of mouth. After half a decade of tying up the loose ends her family left behind, Taney bought a small shop with a two bedroom flare over it. Breton, despite all the bad memories she’d had there, was home.

Asmodeus didn’t open as soon as she’d bought the place. Taney had a lot of work to do fixing it up and used this as an excuse to ‘come back quietly’. For the most part she assumed people didn’t remember her, the little sister of the ruined family. Everyone except her had some sort of track record. That wait was spent coding her website, posting promos, and perfecting her watercolor technique and improving her skills in the other styles she had learned in her travels that clients may want. There were some circumstances in between that truly changed her life, a gaslighting non-committal relationship where she saw the person she thought she could open up to show their true colors, casting doubt on her trust in the concept of love and commitment once more. Taney truthfully knew she wasn’t the typical person to catch feelings for. She was promiscuous and happy about it, volatile and reckless, and eccentrically honest. There were just two people outside of her family that could claim to have ever known her beyond the surface and she’d wholly burnt those bridges upon her departure from their respective cities. In her stubbornness refusing to become shackled by societal norms and labels. Though she’s very obviously happier than she’s ever been, she still struggles with her health, including sex addiction, and trusting people- let alone letting anyone in. Many have tried, no one has succeeded or come out unscathed. Be careful what you wish for, if you’re curious to get to know her, she’s likely to pounce- as she’s equal parts sarcasm, quick wit, and horny as hell… a place which she’s inarguably the Queen.

#bretonaccepted #taney hana #rooney mara #accepted

0 notes

pastourprimesports-blog · 5 years

Text

Steelers= Reality TV. :By Teej

Well 2019 started just like 2018 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Drama drama and more drama. The Steelers have been in the head lines for last couple of years and not for the right reasons. Let's take a quick look back at the drama over the years.

August 2014- LeGarrette Blount and LeVeon Bell get charged with possession of marijuana.

August 2015- Martavis Bryant suspended for violating leagues substance abuse policy.

2016- Martavis Bryant suspended the entire season for violating leagues substance abuse policy

Summer of 2017- Bryant and Sammie Coats go back and forth on Twitter about who JuJu Smith-Schuster was going to replace. (Answer is Sammie Coats)

Start of 2017 season: LeVeon Bell holds out until regular season.

Start of 2018 season: LeVeon Bell doesn't sign franchise tag by deadline after going back and forth on Twitter saying he planned on showing.

End of 2018/2019 season: Antonio Brown drama.

So as you can see since 2014 there have been headlines about the Steelers and the drama that seems to follow them. Most recently being the Antonio Brown drama. Browns drama steems from week 17 of the regular season and continues today. Brown on the last week of practice got into a confrontation with Ben Roethlisberger, reports say that the two exchanged words and that Brown threw a ball in the direction of Ben. Following this practice Brown did not show up the rest of the week for practice or for the Saturday morning walk through. When reporting to the stadium Sunday Brown fully expected to play. However Brown was benched for him not reporting to practices or returning phone calls from coaches and teammates. The Steelers actually listed Brown out with a knee injury in this game. (don't know why they lied about the situation) After finding out that he was going to be benched Brown decided it would be best for him to leave at halftime. (Not a great look) Since week 17 Brown has not responded to Tomlin, Ben or even owner Art Rooney II. When asked about Browns chances of returning to the Steelers organization Ronney stated "it would be hard to envision".

Brown has been all over social media. He recorded a Instagram live video with James Harrison (he is not a big fan of Tomlins) while the Mike Tomlin press conference was going on, he has also been tweeting at players of the San Francisco 49ers, he has deleted the Pittsburgh Steelers from his Twitter and Instagram pages while following the 49ers accounts and also liked someone's fan art of him in a 49ers jersey. Most recently Brown had spoken with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, and expressed a lot of interest in playing for the 49ers. Rice told 95.7 The Game when ask "Does Antonio Brown want to be a 49er" Rice's responded saying "he wants to come here really badly".

The drama has to end sometime right? The Steelers need to get a hold of their team soon rather than later if they want to have any chance at winning anytime soon. Ben isn't getting any younger and you don't find franchise Quarterbacks just laying around.

Brown will likely be traded before the start of next season. It's reported the Steelers are looking for at least a 1st Rd pick for Brown and should have no issue receiving that when we just saw Amari Cooper get traded for a first rounder. Some teams that have been brought up include.

- San Francisco 49ers

- New York Jets

- Denver Broncos

- Arizona Cardinals

Other teams are likely to pop up but based off rumors that are coming up I realistically see it being the 4 teams mentioned above.

Let's me know your thoughts on Antonio Brown and the Steelers organization.

0 notes

junker-town · 6 years

Text

Steelers LB Ryan Shazier has movement in his legs and is walking with help

The latest on the injury suffered by Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier on Dec. 4.

On the first offensive possession in a Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a serious back injury on an attempt to make a tackle. He was later taken to the hospital. He’s since had surgery to address the issue, and continues on what figures to be a long road to recovery.

“Unfortunately Ryan will not be able to contribute on the field during the remainder of this season,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said of the team’s decision to put him on injured reserve in December. “However, even off the field Ryan will continue to be one of our team leaders. We know his spirit and positive outlook will help him to continue in his recovery, as well as serve as an inspiration to our team.”

What’s the latest on Shazier’s condition?

Shazier spoke to Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock via phone on NFL Network during the NFL Scouting Combine and told them that he’s getting better every day and expects to return to the field.

“My end goal is to allow the Lord to let me come back and play at the high level that I was before,” Shazier said. “Every day I try to get better. I strive for the Hall of Fame and I was doing that through this year, the whole time I was playing. And I still do that while I’m doing rehab. I know it’s still a possibility. I have the Lord and he has my back and I constantly feel I’m going to come back and play football.”

Shazier told teammate Roosevelt Nix in February that he’s continuing to make progress every day and wants to play again.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared an encouraging update on Super Bowl Sunday. Schefter said that Shazier has regained movement in his legs and is “engaging in a regular walking routine.”

However, NBC’s Michele Tafoya clarified that Shazier isn’t walking on his own, a report Shazier confirmed was accurate:

@steelers @RyanShazier @SNFonNBC #NFL pic.twitter.com/kahYCRiPGD

— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) February 4, 2018

As of Thursday, Feb. 1, Shazier had been released from inpatient rehab. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center released a statement saying that Shazier will continue his recovery in an outpatient program.

What’s been the timeline of his injury and recovery?

Shazier was injured on Dec. 4, during the Steelers’ Monday Night Football matchup against the Bengals.

Dec. 4

After his tackle attempt, Shazier immediately reached for the middle of his back and stayed down on the field. Eventually he was strapped to a backboard and put on the back of a cart and taken to the locker room.

The ESPN broadcast on Monday Night Football noted that Shazier didn’t move his legs after the hit. According to Aditi Kinkhabwala, he was taken out of the stadium in an ambulance shortly after he was carted off the field.

Immediately after the game, Mike Tomlin said the team had no update on Shazier’s status.

“This is a tough game, tough business,” Tomlin said. “5-0 (Shazier) is our brother.”

Dec. 5

Early reports from the locker room were optimistic:

Steelers won't know more re Ryan Shazier until the swelling goes down. But Tommy Maddox had similar injury, made full recovery once swelling was gone. That is giving these players much optimism.

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 5, 2017

Ryan Shazier "better than what it could have been," per team source. Looking better

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) December 5, 2017

#Steelers LB Ryan Shazier has shown promising signs this morning. I’m told he has some movement in his lower extremities after last night’s back injury, but the next 24-48 hours are key for increased improvement.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 5, 2017

The first official statement from the Steelers was encouraging:

Statement by #Steelers GM/VP Kevin Colbert on LB Ryan Shazier pic.twitter.com/WEp6wktNCu

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 5, 2017

Kinkhabwala reported that the team sent a private plane to pick up Shazier’s parents to bring them to Cincinnati.

The neurosurgeons at UC Medical Center who directed Shazier’s care released an update through the team:

Joint statement from Dr. David Okonkwo (UPMC) & Dr. Joseph Cheng (UCMC) on #Steelers LB Ryan Shazier. pic.twitter.com/ou4UkTRvVR

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 5, 2017

Shazier tweeted from the hospital after the injury to thank fans for their support.

Thank you for the prayers. Your support is uplifting to me and my family. #SHALIEVE

— Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) December 5, 2017

Head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media about Shazier.

“I really have no update in terms of his medical status other than what was released earlier,” he said. “I would imagine at the appropriate time that those who are responsible for his care will give you a reasonable assessment of where he is. I imagine that would occur as soon as later on today.”

“From my perspective, obviously it was a tough evening,” he said. “Ryan’s a trooper. I had an opportunity to spend some time with him, and he’s in good spirits.”

Dec. 6

The Steelers announced that Shazier returned to Pittsburgh, where he will continue to be under medical evaluation for his spinal injury:

Statement on #Steelers LB Ryan Shazier (Wednesday, Dec. 6): pic.twitter.com/7AVSzXMksr

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 6, 2017

He also got some support at practice from teammate Vince Williams:

Vince Williams wore Ryan Shazier's jersey at practice today. William Gay said, "That's 'shake and bake.' He's making sure 'shake' is still out there." #Steelers

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 6, 2017

Dec. 7

The team announced that Shazier underwent surgery to address the injury.

Statement from UPMC Neurosurgeons & #Steelers Team Physicians on Ryan Shazier pic.twitter.com/nE7xgsx7Tx

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 7, 2017

There was no timetable for Shazier’s recovery:

#Steelers LB Ryan Shazier’s spinal surgery will necessitate months of recovery, sources say, before he considers a return to football. His season is over. A very difficult situation.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2017

Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said via the Post-Gazette, “I’m not worried about him playing for us again, I’m more worried about him. Y’all have been updated as much as we have. The thing that we’re hopeful for and prayerful for is that he comes back and he’ll be OK. The football stuff is secondary. His life is a lot more important to me than football.”

Dec. 10

The Steelers played their first game without Shazier in Week 14. Wide receiver Antonio Brown wore a custom pair of cleats honoring the linebacker.

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

After the game against the Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger said Shazier was there with the team on Sunday night.

“We didn’t play without him. He was out here with us, and we know it. ... Buddy, we love you so much. This one was for you bud,” Roethlisberger said.

Mike Tomlin said during his postgame press conference that the team talked to Shazier on FaceTime from the locker room after the game.

Shazier posted a video of himself reacting to the Steelers’ 39-38 win over the Ravens.

#SHALIEVE : @RyanShazier pic.twitter.com/T3bN1DB8M5

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 11, 2017

Dec. 14

Ten days after Shazier first suffered the injury, UPMC announced that the linebacker is still hospitalized and has started physical rehabilitation:

An update on @steelers Ryan Shazier. Further updates will be provided by UPMC. https://t.co/DMAfvWJKpG pic.twitter.com/1M4oleJ2mL

— UPMC (@UPMCnews) December 14, 2017

Dec. 17

Shazier made a surprise appearance at the Steelers’ game against the Patriots:

Jan. 4, 2018

Shazier had feeling in his legs again, according to his father as reported by WPXI. His father added that Shazier was making progress in his recovery, but would not offer an answer when asked if the Steelers linebacker was walking yet.

Feb. 1

Shazier will start outpatient therapy:

An update on @steelers Ryan Shazier. pic.twitter.com/CPiizgvSbA

— UPMC (@UPMCnews) February 1, 2018

Feb. 6

Shazier attended a Pittsburgh Penguins game and received a standing ovation. He got some help to stand up so that he could acknowledge the fans:

A well-deserved STANDING ovation for this guy. Welcome to the game, @RyanShazier! pic.twitter.com/IhBscrsXTT

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 7, 2018

Feb. 7

Team owner Art Rooney II said that Shazier will have a place with the Steelers next season, even if it’s not on the football field:

Art Rooney on Ryan Shazier's future: "I expect Ryan is going to be here one way or the other and have a roll on the team one way or other in 2018"

— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) February 7, 2018

Feb. 20

Shazier appears on Roosevelt Nix’s podcast, talking for the first time about his injury and about his desire to get back on the field and to be a Hall of Famer one day.

March 4

Shazier echoes what he said to Nix, telling NFL Network’s Mike Mayock and Rich Eisen that he expects to play again.

Shazier, 25, is a former first-round pick for the Steelers who has developed into one of the best young linebackers in the NFL. He earned a spot in the Pro Bowl last year and was voted in again in 2017. He forced two fumbles and caught three interceptions this season before his injury.

His football career is now in question, but the most important thing is just that Shazier is OK after a serious injury.

0 notes

ongaku-ato-kakikomi · 4 years

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Clumsy Mouth (Maddie Rooney x Fem! Reader)

For as long as you can remember, you've always been friends with Maddie and Liv Rooney. The two blond twins always lived on the other side of the fence, your parents sending you at the Rooney's to play tea parties with Liv and games of tag with Maddie. You often had sleepovers with them, the three of you always begging each other's parents to let you stay over, and since you live so close to one another, they've always said 'yes'. Those days where you got to see them were your greatest childhood memories, and you wouldn't change them for anything in the world.

Then, Liv left for Hollywood. You were beyond happy for her, and there wasn't a week where you wouldn't be watching her show live with the Rooney's, or a day without talking with her on the phone or on the computer. You managed to stay close friends despite the time apart, and it felt like she never left when she came back years later.

Maddie, on the other hand, you've always felt like something else was going on. You two always spent every single minute of the day together, whether it was at school or at each other's house. You were there when she got into her basketball team, always there in the crowd and cheering for her the loudest of them all, or losing random practice games to her in her backyard. You didn't mind losing though, because she was always so happy and excited to win. You just love that about her, and so many more things.

You realized you liked her more than a friend when Liv came back, feeling a very different connection with the actress twin than the sporty one. You love Liv, but you've always loved Maddie a little more... and you had no idea how to tell her, especially when she started going out with Diggy.

You were happy that she was happy with him, but as time pass by, you spent less time with Maddie and more with Liv to spare your feelings. Liv was happy to hang out with you whenever you needed to, and though you never told her why you were sad most of the time, she knew. She only had to see how bright your eyes would be whenever Maddie would show up to know. The two of you never clearly talked about it, but the fact that she willingly gives you a shoulder to cry on when Maddie goes out on a date is all that you need to know that she accepts you and is there for you. Plus, you can't ignore the constant teasing she gives you any time Maddie makes your stomach twist.

When Diggy went away for a whole semester, Maddie didn't know what to do with her spare time, turning towards you and Liv. At first, everything was great, it was as if the three of you were little again... then Maddie realized that you and Liv have developed a stronger bond during the last few years, constantly talking about things she doesn't know about or telling jokes only you and Liv can understand. Her attitude slightly changed after that. She was still the confident and adorable Maddie that you fell in love with, but she became a little distant... always looking at you and Liv with a strange look in her eyes whenever she thinks no one's looking at you.

"She likes you." Liv once told you, a big smile on her face. You immediately shook your head as a response, not wanting to believe any of that.

"No, she doesn't." You stopped her before she could open her mouth again. "She's still with Diggy."

That was a strong enough argument to make her stop talking about it, but Liv knows her twin, and Maddie definitely liked you a little more than a friend.

One day, after a particularly fun day where you and Liv played 'supermodel' for a whole entire afternoon, Maddie decided to broke up with Diggy. She never told you or Liv why she did, all she said was that 'it felt like the right thing to do'. Needless to say, Liv's teasing got worse, to the point where she would constantly ask you to tell her twin about your feelings, which you never had the intention to. You were too afraid.

Which brings you to today, where you and Liv are eating ice cream in the Rooney's kitchen, waiting for Maddie to come back from her basketball practice.

"(Y/N)." Liv suddenly talks, a determined look on her face when you turn your eyes to her. "I need to tell you something."

"Um..." You frown in confusion, not sure why she suddenly changed her mood so quickly. "... Okay?"

"I'm in love with you."

"Wait, what-"

She gives out a wide grin. "It's what you should say to Maddie when she comes back."

"Oh, my god-Liv!" She immediately erupts in laughter upon seeing your shocked face. "You scared me for a second!"

"You should have seen the look on your face!" She wipes a fake tear from the corner of her eyes, still laughing. "Seriously, though, just tell Maddie that you love her-"

"You love me?"

Silence fell in the room when the two of you hear Maddie's voice, your eyes widening upon seeing her standing at the entrance. Liv immediately starts making a loud and long excited noise, her hands finding her cheeks while she smiles with her mouth wide open. You immediately send her a panicked glare, your heart now pounding in your chest.

"Did you plan this?!"

"I did not but this is amazing!"

"So you really love me?" You turn your eyes back towards Maddie to see her look at you with a surprised face, not quite being able to see if she's reciprocating your feelings or not. "Like... Love love?"

"Um... Yeah..." You feel your cheeks burning up, wanting nothing but run away and hide somewhere. "I've loved you for a long time..."

Maddie stays silent for a moment until something changes in her eyes, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks as she starts to chuckle happily, her adorable snort coming out. "Ha... Ha... I... I love you too..."

You don't have time to express how happy these words make you feel, your heart suddenly beating louder while warmth spread inside your chest, then a crooked squeal escapes Liv's lips, reminding you and Maddie of her presence. "You guys are so cute! Does that mean you're gonna date?"

"Well, I would like to..." Maddie shyly takes your hand in hers, the heat on your face worsening when she intertwines your fingers together. "Do you?"

"Yeah..." You give her a warm smile. "Yeah, I would love to."

"Aaah! This is amazing! I'm so glad that I have such a clumsy mouth!"

You kinda are too... Cause if she didn't accidentally reveal your feelings right then, the moment you've always dreamed of would have never happened.

#liv and maddie #liv and maddie imagine #liv and maddie imagines #liv and maddie x reader #maddie rooney #maddie rooney imagine #maddie rooney imagines #maddie rooney x reader #liv rooney #liv rooney imagine #liv rooney imagines #imagine #imagines #x reader #reader insert

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multifandomsimagine · 6 years

Photo

Gif Source: bamwhatrooney

Imagine doing homework with Maddie

——— Masterlist / Ko-Fi ———

“Why is math so hard?” [Name] groaned as they put out their head on the table. They were currently in the Rooney household where Maddie had invited them in order for the two of them to work on homework together.

Laughing at [Name]’s antics, Maddie snorted. “You’re telling me.” Standing up from her seat on the table, she stretched her arm out. Patting [Name] on the back, she walked over to the fridge and pulled out two juices. “Let’s take a break. We’ll come back to it later and hopefully, it’ll make more sense then.”

#liv and Maddie #liv and maddie imagine #liv and maddie imagines #Maddie Rooney #Maddie Rooney imagines #Maddie #Maddie imagine #Maddie imagines #Yoshino writes imagines #birthday event 2018 #maddie rooney imagine

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stillbandofbrothersthirsty · 3 years

Text

As Far As Friends Go

Chapter 8 (Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7)

Nixon - March 1944

The new year saw no improvement to Emily and Nixon’s relationship despite his fumbled attempts at reconciliation. Nixon felt that he went out of his way to make small talk with her, to be friendly (especially in the mornings) and to be enthusiastic about her work. Emily was outwardly friendly, to an appropriate degree, but Nixon could sense the barrier she had put up between them. When they had first met, she had been so open and warm, bordering on desperate for his friendship. Now, she made polite small talk and performed her tasks with a new rigid professionalism. Nixon couldn’t help but feel that this behavior was exclusive to him. He saw how she interacted with the men in the pub, in the mess, and on the rifle range; she didn’t seem to have a problem with any of them.

On more than one occasion Nixon found himself complaining to Winters about Emily’s insufferable behavior.

“Didn’t you find her attitude obnoxious before?” Winters asked.

“Yes, but I got used to that. Now she’s changed it up on me again! It's annoying is what it is,” Nixon said.

Winters dipped a spoon into a bowl of soup and brought it to his mouth, patiently waiting for Nixon to continue, “its the unpredictability, the mood swings! Women.” Nixon scoffed.

“Well,” Winters ate another spoonful of soup, “you were a jerk.”

Nixon’s brow furrowed, “not enough of a jerk for her to give me the cold shoulder for three months.”

“Has it been three months?”

Nixon didn’t answer. “You two still talk, I’ve seen you,” Winters said, “maybe she’s focusing on her work. It has gotten busier.”

“Yeah we talk, but not like before. And she seems to have plenty of time to talk to Harry or George Luz.”

Winters’ mouth crooked into a small, thoughtful smile, “why do you think it bothers you so much, Nix?”

Nixon caught his friends smirk, “Oh no,” he shook his head, “its not like that at all. She’s a kid. Besides, I’m invested elsewhere in this boring town."

Winters cocked an eyebrow, “so this really is just about friendship?”

“Friendship, friendliness - I just want things to go back to normal!”

Winters nodded and turned his attention back to his soup, “maybe this is the new normal.”

Nixon was running out of patience and hope. As March crept along he decided that he would simply have to come to terms with the impersonal working relationship that Winters called the new normal.

“Morning,” Nixon entered the intelligence HQ room with a manila folder already in hand. He was flipping through the aerial photos inside.

“Good morning, sir,” Emily said, barely looking up from her typewriter.

“We received some aerial photos this morning. Here look at this,” Nixon said, stretching out a black and white print to Emily.

She took it, “what’s this of?”

“Undisclosed,” Nixon said, “but we’ll be getting a lot more. Our office needs to piece the photos together and start building sand tables of the geography.”

Emily blew air out of her cheeks, “Wow, so this might be..”

“Yeah,” Nixon caught her gaze, “this might be it.”

“Okay, yeah we’ll get started on this.”

“Great.” Nixon shut the manila folder firmly and threw it on Emily’s desk. “Let me know what you need.”

  “Will do, sir.”

Nixon waited until his back was turned to roll his eyes. He hated it when she called him sir. No one else would hear it, but he could hear the contempt in her voice. She wasn’t saying sir out of respect. He knew that she was doing it purposely to annoy him. Sure, he couldn’t prove it, but he knew it.

Nixon dropped into his desk chair just as Vest entered the room with uncharacteristic hesitance.

“Uh, Miss Rooney?” Nixon’s dark eyes flicked over to Emily. An unexplainable feeling of dread grew in his stomach. It grew stronger as he saw Emily’s face change. She was sensing the difference in Vest’s energy just as he had. Vest made his way over to her desk with a letter in hand.

“A letter for you,” Vest cleared his throat, “from the war department.”

Nixon sat straighter in his chair as Vest made his awkward retreat from the room. Emily ripped the edge of the envelope with trembling hands and slowly pulled the typed letter from its folds.

Nixon watched her eyes run across the ink-black lines. His heart beat in his ears in anticipation for her reaction. Finally, Emily let out a shuddering breath and the letter dropped from her hands. Fat tears began rolling down her cheeks. She pressed a hand to her mouth in an attempt to squash her sobs, her body folding in on itself as if to guard her from the world around her. Jolted into action, Nixon stood abruptly from his chair and was beside her in two strides. He positioned his body on the edge of her desk, blocking her from the curious looks from the other intelligence staff.

“What happened?” he asked in a low voice.

Emily shut her eyes tightly against the tears, she shook her head indicating her inability to speak. Instead, she held up the letter. Nixon took it and read,

Dear Miss Rooney,

The following information is provided in regards to your fiancee, Corporal John Elliott. Your fiancee sustained significant wounds of the left leg and arm and on 11 March, 1944 was reported as being in a naval hospital in London, England for further treatment. You may be sure that he is….

Nixon stopped reading as confused relief softened the knot in his stomach.   “Wounded, wounded in action,” he said.

Emily nodded. She ran her finger tips under her eyes. Her cheeks were sopping wet with tears, her eyelashes heavy with salt.

“Here,” Nixon handed her the handkerchief from his pocket. “It’s clean. Well, cleanish.”

Emily accepted it and swallowed hard, doing her best to compose herself. She patted her cheeks dry with the fold of the linen cloth.

“You okay?” Nixon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. This was their first physical interaction in months, but neither of them seemed to think anything of it. It was such a natural action considering the circumstances.

“Yeah,” she gulped, “I’m alright.” Emily exhaled, “it took me by surprise is all.”

  “Naturally,” Nixon rubbed her back.

“I don’t know why I’m such a mess,” Emily’s voice cracked with emotion.

“You don’t need to excuse your reaction,” Nixon murmured, “this is big, scary news.”

  “I thought- I just thought that it was going to say he was dead.”

“I know, I thought so too.”

“Lew, I - I was,” she hesitated.

“What?” he encouraged her.

“Never mind,” she screwed her face up as if thinking against what she was about to say. Her lips were swollen from crying, her lipstick slightly smudged from the press of her hand. “If he’s wounded I have to see if I can visit him.”

Nixon nodded, “absolutely.”  

“Do you think we could find out where he’s at?”

Nixon grimaced with uncertainty, “uhm, I mean it’s not our branch. But I’ll see what I can do.” Nixon was conflicted; this seemed awful personal for him to get involved with. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to get involved with Emily’s business considering how things had been between them lately. Then again, this could be his chance to make amends, to show her that he meant well by her.

“Lewis, thank you!” her voice was full of gratitude and looking down at her red rimmed gray eyes, Nixon prayed he would be able to find the hospital easily.

A few days later Nixon interrupted Emily at lunch, which she was once again spending with Welsh.

“I found him,” Nixon announced. He expected Emily look more excited.

“Oh thank you, Nix! Where is he?” Emily asked.

Okay, back to some version of a nickname, Nixon observed. That was a good sign. “Worcestershire.”

“Who’s this?” Welsh looked between Emily and Nixon.

“Worcestershire? I thought he was in London?”

“He was. He was originally with an evacuation hospital but has since been moved to a convalescent hospital in Worcestershire.”

“Ah, okay,” Emily said.

“That’s a good thing,” Nixon said, “he’s on the mend! And Worcestershire is only north of here.”

“Who’s this we’re talking about?” Welsh asked again, this directed just at Emily.  

“Right, I guess I should go up this weekend,” Emily spoke more to herself than the men. “I guess I’ll have to make sure…” she trailed off lost in thought.

“You’ve got my permission. That’s all you need,” Nixon said.

Welsh opened his mouth again but didn’t have the chance to speak before Nixon interjected, “her fiancee Harry, we’re talking about her wounded fiancee.”

“Ah,” Harry looked down at his plate suddenly uninterested in the conversation.

“Get the train Saturday morning and plan to be back by Sunday night, okay?” Nixon rapped his knuckles on the wooden dining table. “Okay, I’ll see you both later,” and he walked off without Emily’s confirmation.

The Friday before she was set to leave Emily was a ball of nerves. She was constantly tapping her foot, or getting up to walk around aimlessly. Her restlessness was grating on Nixon’s nerves, which was the last thing he needed with the headache he was nursing.

“Would you relax?” he finally snapped.

“Sorry, sorry,” Emily stilled her foot. But then only a few minutes later her fingers began drumming against her desk. The rigid tension between them had relaxed slightly since the letter had come but Nixon still felt like he was walking on eggshells. He was worried about being too harsh with her or of saying anything insensitive. The last couple of days he had been careful to be extra kind to her. The stress of seeing her fiancee again for the first time in at least a year, and knowing that he would be both physically and mentally different than he had been, was a lot to carry. Nixon knew this. He had taken it upon himself to offset her edginess but boy was he finding that particularly difficult at that moment.

“What’re you gonna be like when we get to the continent huh?” Nixon demanded, “that’s gonna be stressful too, are you gonna be able to handle it?” So much for not being too harsh or insensitive.

Emily scowled at him from her desk, “leave me alone, Nixon. I’ll be fine when we get to the continent. Will you? Gunfire isn’t great for a hangover.”

Nixon narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t say anything more. Finally, they made it to dinner and she excused herself early due to her early departure in the morning. A peculiar sensation came over him as he watched her leave. Seeing her walk away in her woolen skirt with pieces of her dark, red-brown hair flying away from where they were pinned down felt like some sort of goodbye. An anxiety that she was leaving to join her fiancee never to come back tickled at the back of his mind. Beside him, Harry Welsh was looking after her in just the same way. Nixon couldn’t help but wonder what that meant for both of them.

Nixon didn’t have plans for the weekend. He had a loose arrangement with a beautiful young local woman but didn’t feel particularly motivated to call after her that Saturday. His mind was with Emily, worrying if she had made it to the hospital safely. He squandered the day away in bed, then the pub and during a brief window of sunshine, walking around the outskirts of town.

England was beginning to defrost into Spring. When Nixon looked out at the rolling hills of Wiltshire, he could almost pretend he wasn’t there because of a war. He might have been there to study, or to visit family friends. There was a peacefulness in the open plains that surrounded the town of Aldbourne. Every stone, field, and building held a storied past that seemed to look past the impending events as if to say I have been here before and I will be here after.

Later that night Nixon excused himself from a game of poker for a cigarette outside. It was chilly out, but he was grateful for the fresh air while it wasn’t raining. He was stood just in front of the steps leading ups to the HQ building when he spotted a figure making its way up the driveway, suitcase in hand. It was a woman’s figure and Nixon’s first thought was another nurse was coming to join the ranks. But it was such a late hour for a new member of staff to check in. As the figure grew closer he recognized her.

“Emily?” he asked in confusion. Her features became clearer as she stepped into the dim light coming from the building. There was a bizarre expression on her face. Nixon didn’t know what to think of her. “Emily?” he repeated, “what’re you doing back?”

She didn’t smile, but her countenance was calm, serene even. Her eyes were wide and bright despite the limited light. She parted her red lips and with the intonation of surprise said, “I’m free, Lew.”

#band of brothers #fanfiction #original character #as far as friends go #lewis nixon #lewis nixon x oc #harry welsh x oc #george luz x oc #dick winters #harry welsh #george luz #hbo band of brothers

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