Player Manager

Could a seemingly average Premier League fan oversee a football club better than a top manager? Max is starting to think so . . . Max Best is not living his-ahem-best life. His job's a drag, his home's a shooting gallery, his hopes are nil, and lately, even his beloved game of football has devolved from a chaotic, ecstatic delight into a cold, calculating equation complete with stats, tech terms, and mindless lingo. But then Max rescues a mysterious old man from a mugging. "Nick" seems friendly enough . . . until he innocently asks his saviour, "Would you sell your soul to be a top football manager?" Naturally, Max says yes, and in that instant, everything changes. Suddenly, whenever he watches a footie match, the skills and attributes of every player are visible to him within an eyes-only display. While he's terrified at first, he quickly learns to appreciate his abilities-even embracing them to gain his own level-ups and experience. And he's going to need them. Because his otherworldly talent is about to have a massive effect on his real-world existence, catapulting him from small local matches to the insanity of top-tier football. But the more he succeeds, the more he's torn between the simple, happy fanatic he once was and the master of the pitch he's becoming. Soon Max will have to ask himself: Is football really a matter of life or death? Or is there something more important worth fighting for? The first volume of the hit progression-fantasy series-with more than 800,000 views on Royal Road-now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

Most Premier League fans are happy to cheer from the stands, but one fan-armed with some serious RPG talent-is taking his football pride onto the pitch. Not too long ago, Max Best was stuck in a dead-end job, trudging from one day to the next and mourning the fact that his burning love of football was getting buried in a landslide of cold statistics and intangible tactics. Then, after saving an old man from a mugging, he was "cursed" with the ability to instantly ascertain a footie player's attributes on sight and use that knowledge to upgrade his own skills. Now he's making a name for himself as an amateur team manager, but it's not enough for him to ditch his dud of a job. Soon Max realizes there's only one logical next step to levelling up to his dream of being a top-tier manager: become a player himself. But first a great many things have to fall into place. From healing up his injured ankle to evaluating his real strengths as an athlete to continuing his scouting and dealing with his own client list, he's got a lot on his plate-to put it mildly. Turns out there's a massive difference between knowing how the game is played and actually playing it. If Max really wants his dream to come true, he'll have to put in the work . . . The second volume of the hit progression-fantasy series-with more than 800,000 views on Royal Road- now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

One uniquely gifted football fan goes from face-in-the-crowd to manager-to-remember as this electrifying LitRPG series for fans of Ted Lasso continues. When football fanatic and loveable loser Max Best saved an old codger from a mugging, he never expected to be rewarded with the ability to immediately pinpoint a player's specific skills-and use that knowledge to up his own levels. Ever since that fateful night, Max has devoted himself to the game far more than any mere fan, becoming not only a serious footballer in his own right but a leader both on and off the pitch. Then, just as he's about to accept a manager position at formerly bottom-of-the-league Telford, Max is offered the job of director of football at Chester FC, a role that may not even exist . . . yet. But in order to have a chance in hell of getting the gig, he's going to have to convince the team's fan representative board-one of whose members goes by the charming name "Bulldog"-that he's for real. To do that, Max will have to play attack and defence as he navigates the stark reality of the professional football industry and struggles to survive to play another day. Because while playing hard on the field can get you a win, playing hardball off the field can lose you everything. The third volume of the hit progression-fantasy series-with more than 800,000 views on Royal Road-now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

Footie's number-one fanatic continues his climb to become number-one manager in the fourth installment of this fast-paced, electrifying LitRPG series. Football is a game of steps: Quick steps. Trick steps. Even sneaky, slick steps. Whether you're on or off the pitch, you best know your footing. And for Max Best, that's no problem at all. He has the ability to read players to a T-thanks to the sentient stat-tracking display he received after saving an elderly man in the streets. Now, as director of football for Chester FC, everything's falling into place for Max. His team is climbing the ranks. He's executing great transfers and hired a literal old hand for his brand-new women's team. Plus, his no-holds-barred attitude and unorthodox way of working the league systems is making a serious impression. What could go wrong? Well . . . everything actually. First, a top-notch prospect gets snaked out from under him. Then, an old adversary starts playing dirty behind the scenes so Max can't play on the field. And his wheeling and dealing has landed him in the wrong kind of spotlight. But the worst part is that he's beginning to suspect the one behind all the chaos is the increasingly devilish old fellow he rescued so long ago . . . The fourth volume of the hit progression-fantasy series-with more than 800,000 views on Royal Road-now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

A one-time football fanatic continues his fight to become an all-time legend of the game in the fifth book of this hard-hitting, humorous sports LitRPG. Max Best was on a roll. After climbing the ranks at Chester FC with his burning desire, innate talent, and the "curse" of a sentient heads-up display with knowledge of all things footie, he was named the club's electrifying new director of football. Seizing the opportunity, he saved the day and led the team out of relegation. But that's when someone tried to murder him . . . Waking up in the hospital, Max is barely alive, with a crack in his skull-and without his curse, thanks to Old Nick, the creepy entity who gave it to him in the first place. Nick thinks Max needs some time to recover and repair as well as learn some control of his own, because Max's most pressing challenges are about to come at him from all sides. He'll need to navigate his responsibilities to his players, staff, and girlfriend, not to mention the league bosses and crazed public that want his head on either a golden bust or a silver platter. And without his curse to guide him, for once Max will have to depend on one thing alone to get him through this mess: himself. The fifth volume of the hit progression-fantasy series-with more than 800,000 views on Royal Road-now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

The world's most gifted fan is building the league's most exciting squad in the thrilling continuation of this fun-filled European football LitRPG series. Recovered from a near-fatal assault and rearmed with his embedded football scouting skills, former nobody Max Best has led his Chester men's team up in the rankings and ratings both on the pitch and in the front office. But there's no rest to be had with what's ahead: the FA Cup. Now, they're playing against big-money teams with big talent and even bigger attitudes. And the elite aren't about to let some smart-aleck, fast-talking upstart and his underdog lads make the powerhouse clubs look like fools. Unfortunately for them, that's precisely what Max lives for. Pushing himself and his team to the limits, he's out to prove that Chester have earned everything they've got. But success on the field can't protect Max from a surprise attack that takes things to an entirely new low. With brutally biased press jackals digging up some serious dirt, Max's past, personal life, and very integrity are under threat. Someone out there wants him not just damaged but destroyed. If he's going to survive this season, he'll have to play low-block defence like never before-and wait for one perfect moment to take one perfect shot at a win. The sixth volume of the hit progression-fantasy series-with more than 800,000 views on Royal Road-now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!