Steve Moore
Club Cricketer
Some off field stuff is based on my life & some is entirely fictional
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It's Christmas 2007 and I've been in Spain a year and a half. It's not too bad out here, first in Santandar and then here in Valencia with Lavente.
But at times like Christmas, I still can't help but think about my past, what could've been the great life for me.
8 years ago, I was in a great youth team at the 2nd love of my life, Luton Town FC, we were ready to kick on to revive the failing club. Emmerson Boyce, Matty Taylor, Matty Spring, Michael McIndoe, Tresor Kandol & myself Steve Moore, the Welsh-Lutonian central midfielder who, along with my best mate, star striker Johnny 'Bravo' Morgan were meant to be the best of the bunch.
We used to rip other youth sides apart & as Joe Kinnear came in with us relegated to the basement and started dipfeeding the youngsters in..
2000-2001 was going to be our boys year. Taylor, Boyce & Spring were regulars & the rest of us were going to push through and take us back up straight away.
That's where it all went wrong:
Borehamwood away, pre-season friendly & I was playing well & I'd set up 3 of our 5 goals & then this idiot amateur flies in at shorts height and almost rips my right leg off.
I now have a permanent weakness (akin to hemiplegia) in my right-side (I'd fallen on my arm as well). My football career was over. I was never going to play for Luton Town
At this time, I was trying to sort out THE love of my life. Since the age of 8, (11 years), I'd been going out with Laura Dempsey. Albeit it in private since she left with her family to live in Cambridge. This is due to the fact that my parents didn't like her.
I was trying to work out how to finally tell my parents that not only had I still been going out with her for the last 5 years, I was engaged to her.
Then, 2 weeks after THAT game against Borehamwood, just after the doctor's report came through with the awful news. I got a phone call, it was Laura's parents. She had been killed by a London bus.
In 2 weeks, everything I had ever loved had gone & I had lost everything.
It was the start of a slippery slope.
I rang up Bravo & McIndoe, who both liked a few too many, & I spent the rest of 2000 & the whole of 2001 at the bottom of a glass.
By April 2002, I was living in a back room of my parents house, spending my days in 'the Favorite' (my local) & Ladbrokes. Macca had been dumped by Luton due to his Alcoholism and had moved up north, whilst Bravo had cleaned up his act...well, by his standards and was working as a coach with Palace & Charlton.
He was why I got a phone call from the Luton God that is Mick Harford telling me to come down to Kenny Road & help John Moore with the New Youth intake that included some really good talents in Kevin Foley, Keith Keane, Curtis Davies, Leon Barnett & Dean Brill.
That moment saved the rest of my life from drunken depression.
From there I was albe to train the young lads, find I really enjoyed it and take my coaching badges & do some work along with Bravo at Palace too.
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Then, in 2005, during an evening out with Bravo, Brian Stein, Harford & Mike Newell, BTCC team owner and driver Dave Pinkney came over, mainly to get Harford, Stein & Newell's autograph's and the two of us became good friends.
He's how I ended up in Spain.
Apparently Pinkney is mates with some Spanish Motordriver who's benefactor was a faceless on the Racing Santander board.
So, in June 2006, I got a phone call out of the blue from some wierd Spaniard telling me to fly out there straight away, we've heard things about you and we want to give you the Racing Santander job. No interview, no meeting, no nothing!
For all I know, it was probably one of Bravo's jokes. But, I was always unbelievably gulable! Besides, if it was I can always stay with my grandad in Campasol for a week.
Worked though, apparently the old boss had walked out on them, left them in a right state! No money for anyone good neither. Got some right stick from the fans for employing some wierd unknown 25 year old!
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"Keep us up & it'll be a absolute miracle!" they said.
Or rather, their interpreter did.
Had no money to spend neither. Gave it a good go mind. Took it to last day and we needed to get more points than Levante did.
We did our job, brilliant we were, 3-0 up after an hour, Claudio Lopez & Nikola Zigic were immense. Lopez reminds me of Bravo in so many ways so skillful & above it all, floats around the turf as if on air, doing things I could only ever dream about.
After 77 minutes, things got even better, Villareal equalised at Levante. COME ON!!!!!! Final whistle goes and we're staying up! Except no, we aren't, Silva scores for Levante in injury time & we're down.
Still, the board were pleased with me & they said so on a regular basis, to my face. Well, I thought so anyway.
Things were going on behind scenes though, that faceless guy who was instrumental in my appointment was being forced of the board. They didn't want a Brit in charge & wanted me out.
By June they'd got him off the board & a week later a note had been put under my door in pigeon English.
"Get your English backside out of are club...you've been sack.
Go Home,
Racing Ultras Chairman & new board member Refael Gonzalaz"
Poor Grammar, but I got the message non the less.
I tended my resignation the next morning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did think about going back to Luton straight away and get lashed with Bravo, but, in a wierd turn of events which I couldn't work out why at the time, despite keeping them up Levante had sacked their boss. So I applied, went to my Grandad's for a week & then got a call from Levante for an interview that went a little like this:
Pedro Villarroel: Right, we think you worked miracles at Santander, we want you to have the job. £7,500k p/w is what the wages'll convert to in Pounds. Are you in or out.
ME: One thing, why'd you sack the previous incumbant
Pedro Villarroel: Right I was going to tell you about this. He asked for 3 times our wage budget last season & double the Transfer Budget and promised up Europe. We are now in deep financial trouble. I want you to ship out as much as possible with no Transfer funds...do you still want in?
ME: I'm a gluten for punishment, Yes I'm in
So, that's where I am now!
----------------------------------------------
It's Christmas 2007 and I've been in Spain a year and a half. It's not too bad out here, first in Santandar and then here in Valencia with Lavente.
But at times like Christmas, I still can't help but think about my past, what could've been the great life for me.
8 years ago, I was in a great youth team at the 2nd love of my life, Luton Town FC, we were ready to kick on to revive the failing club. Emmerson Boyce, Matty Taylor, Matty Spring, Michael McIndoe, Tresor Kandol & myself Steve Moore, the Welsh-Lutonian central midfielder who, along with my best mate, star striker Johnny 'Bravo' Morgan were meant to be the best of the bunch.
We used to rip other youth sides apart & as Joe Kinnear came in with us relegated to the basement and started dipfeeding the youngsters in..
2000-2001 was going to be our boys year. Taylor, Boyce & Spring were regulars & the rest of us were going to push through and take us back up straight away.
That's where it all went wrong:
Borehamwood away, pre-season friendly & I was playing well & I'd set up 3 of our 5 goals & then this idiot amateur flies in at shorts height and almost rips my right leg off.
I now have a permanent weakness (akin to hemiplegia) in my right-side (I'd fallen on my arm as well). My football career was over. I was never going to play for Luton Town
At this time, I was trying to sort out THE love of my life. Since the age of 8, (11 years), I'd been going out with Laura Dempsey. Albeit it in private since she left with her family to live in Cambridge. This is due to the fact that my parents didn't like her.
I was trying to work out how to finally tell my parents that not only had I still been going out with her for the last 5 years, I was engaged to her.
Then, 2 weeks after THAT game against Borehamwood, just after the doctor's report came through with the awful news. I got a phone call, it was Laura's parents. She had been killed by a London bus.
In 2 weeks, everything I had ever loved had gone & I had lost everything.
It was the start of a slippery slope.
I rang up Bravo & McIndoe, who both liked a few too many, & I spent the rest of 2000 & the whole of 2001 at the bottom of a glass.
By April 2002, I was living in a back room of my parents house, spending my days in 'the Favorite' (my local) & Ladbrokes. Macca had been dumped by Luton due to his Alcoholism and had moved up north, whilst Bravo had cleaned up his act...well, by his standards and was working as a coach with Palace & Charlton.
He was why I got a phone call from the Luton God that is Mick Harford telling me to come down to Kenny Road & help John Moore with the New Youth intake that included some really good talents in Kevin Foley, Keith Keane, Curtis Davies, Leon Barnett & Dean Brill.
That moment saved the rest of my life from drunken depression.
From there I was albe to train the young lads, find I really enjoyed it and take my coaching badges & do some work along with Bravo at Palace too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then, in 2005, during an evening out with Bravo, Brian Stein, Harford & Mike Newell, BTCC team owner and driver Dave Pinkney came over, mainly to get Harford, Stein & Newell's autograph's and the two of us became good friends.
He's how I ended up in Spain.
Apparently Pinkney is mates with some Spanish Motordriver who's benefactor was a faceless on the Racing Santander board.
So, in June 2006, I got a phone call out of the blue from some wierd Spaniard telling me to fly out there straight away, we've heard things about you and we want to give you the Racing Santander job. No interview, no meeting, no nothing!
For all I know, it was probably one of Bravo's jokes. But, I was always unbelievably gulable! Besides, if it was I can always stay with my grandad in Campasol for a week.
Worked though, apparently the old boss had walked out on them, left them in a right state! No money for anyone good neither. Got some right stick from the fans for employing some wierd unknown 25 year old!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Keep us up & it'll be a absolute miracle!" they said.
Or rather, their interpreter did.
Had no money to spend neither. Gave it a good go mind. Took it to last day and we needed to get more points than Levante did.
We did our job, brilliant we were, 3-0 up after an hour, Claudio Lopez & Nikola Zigic were immense. Lopez reminds me of Bravo in so many ways so skillful & above it all, floats around the turf as if on air, doing things I could only ever dream about.
After 77 minutes, things got even better, Villareal equalised at Levante. COME ON!!!!!! Final whistle goes and we're staying up! Except no, we aren't, Silva scores for Levante in injury time & we're down.
Still, the board were pleased with me & they said so on a regular basis, to my face. Well, I thought so anyway.
Things were going on behind scenes though, that faceless guy who was instrumental in my appointment was being forced of the board. They didn't want a Brit in charge & wanted me out.
By June they'd got him off the board & a week later a note had been put under my door in pigeon English.
"Get your English backside out of are club...you've been sack.
Go Home,
Racing Ultras Chairman & new board member Refael Gonzalaz"
Poor Grammar, but I got the message non the less.
I tended my resignation the next morning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did think about going back to Luton straight away and get lashed with Bravo, but, in a wierd turn of events which I couldn't work out why at the time, despite keeping them up Levante had sacked their boss. So I applied, went to my Grandad's for a week & then got a call from Levante for an interview that went a little like this:
Pedro Villarroel: Right, we think you worked miracles at Santander, we want you to have the job. £7,500k p/w is what the wages'll convert to in Pounds. Are you in or out.
ME: One thing, why'd you sack the previous incumbant
Pedro Villarroel: Right I was going to tell you about this. He asked for 3 times our wage budget last season & double the Transfer Budget and promised up Europe. We are now in deep financial trouble. I want you to ship out as much as possible with no Transfer funds...do you still want in?
ME: I'm a gluten for punishment, Yes I'm in
So, that's where I am now!
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