2026-03-24, 10:44 PM - Word count:
When they describe cooking, they typically discuss the use of edible ingredients in some fashion being strewn together, typically over a fire. Now what if I told you, that fire was really an itch, an itch that bothers you everyday, all day, to the point where people start telling you to go the doctor. Now, let me take this one step further, what if such an itch was really a metaphor for being the BoD steward for SFV/Montreal? How can a viral itch that necessitates medical care be comparable with a position in a simulation league? What if I told you that you are ruining my immersion so please stop asking questions and keep reading? For the sake of this tale during my time as steward I was called The Guy, and Matias is still Matias.
Ruins and rubble. That is what Germany felt like to Matias, a management office who didn't back the player, not like he deserved it but what does one really deserve in this life? He would wake up most mornings dreading training, the coach had given up, they ran the same tactics every week, to no avail bar some miracle performances from their striker. He didn't blame the management, he knew what was going on behind the scenes, and while disappointed he was able to push through it. Come the off-season, the manager had let the team know they were stepping down, but that someone sent in from the league management was there to take care of the club till they could find a suitable manager. The Guy stood there next to the ex-coach, in a suit and tie, a goofy smirk that didn't fill anyone with confidence, and a face that was not particularly aesthetically pleasing. Matias, sat next to his buddies stared upon The Guy, noticing his facial features, his wide shoulders, his lackluster stance. Matias decided to give it a chance, he believed that they really couldn't fall that much further down, eighth place was horrible, but it was the worst the organization had seen before the merger.
The Guy stared upon the players, many in the shape of their lives, looking at him with curious eyes. It's like being the animal at the zoo, the kids stare at you with some level of curiosity, they probably have never seen a penguin in person before. The Guy felt like a penguin. He knew he had a lot of work to do, but he had the assistant managers that the ex-coach had left behind so he knew he would receive some guidance. The Guy took the microphone after the short introduction to discuss what he would see as the season's vision, he spoke of grandeur, survival and winning titles. The Guy honestly thought it was in reach, these players looked good, they looked healthy, a little bit of a push and it would get them to where they needed to be.
The season had started, 3 games for both the majors and minors side had gone by, neither finding their footing. The Guy was scrambling, he was changing tactics game in game out, trying to find the pairings that worked well together. The Guy always liked puzzles, but not every puzzle comes with all the pieces. The odd part about this puzzle was that the pieces were both not all there, but some also changed shape depending on how he held them. He assisted his pieces as best he could, with his knowledge of the game and the help of his AMs he felt like at least he was leading them in the correct direction there. He didn't want to shake up the organization too much, he felt like trading away his pieces would lead to disaster, he was there to keep the peace and start what needed to be the reconstruction of an org in shambles.
3 more games had gone by, last place in both leagues, out of the cup, 1 point shared by both sides after 6 games. Matias decided to pay the steward a visit. Matias does not knock, he stepped inside of the office, startling The Guy. The Guy welcomed Matias into the room, but Matias was never a fan of formalities. He sat on the chair at the side of the room, it faced a couch, much like the set up one would see at a therapists office. The Guy liked the arrangement because he felt like it allowed his players and staff to be more open to discuss their most pressing issues with out any pressure. This time, The Guy took the couch. Matias opened with his assessment of the current situation, "Things are difficult in the locker room right now, silence fills the hallways, not even the janitors like to look at the players from the pure shame they carry from working at this org. I came to this organization four seasons ago, and had never imagined a situation like this, the future had looked bright. The minor team had just come off winning a title, today no one can win a game!" Matias' facial expressions only ever convey dismay, anger, or confusion, but today it expressed a new emotion, empathy. Matias continued, "I feel for you, you come to a club without a right back, young defenders, and absent attackers, I don't blame you. I know it takes more than a season to turns things around in a healthy manner, I don't recommend you sell all our assets for quick wins before we find ourselves in the same place in 3 seasons. What I do ask for you to do is finish the season, don't throw your hands up and shut yourself in your office till the BoD lets you go back to Stockholm." The Guy thanked Matias for his time, said that he appreciated his words and would of course stick around to finish the season, hopefully he can muster up some further options to get the organization growing healthily again. Matias left the room silently, said hello to the security guard, and got back into his vehicle to drive home so he could scroll twitter, drink mate, and get ready for the next day.
The moment had left The Guy with a lot of thoughts, he couldn't just leave this club when the season was over, but he also needed to start moving around some pieces. Forget the results, now the goal is to build back the base. The Guy got off the couch, went back to his desk and began to chuckle, he realized that the light always exists at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long the tunnel may be.
3 more games gone, Montreal had finally won a league game, and The Guy had made his first big move of the season right before deadline day. The player had asked to leave, so it did force his hand a little bit, but his goal to seek adequate compensation had succeeded. At that moment The Guy had secured an extra 3 picks for the next two drafts two in the first and second rounds of the upcoming draft and one in the third round for the season 26 draft class. He felt good, he knew he would also have the first pick of the upcoming draft class and with a total of 5 picks he could start building his foundation. He could have anyone he could want come to the organization, a new face for the future, a prospect to lead them to glory. But first he had to wait for the draft.
Matias, on the other hand was just begging for the season to end. The locker room had seen some vitality return because of some team bonding exercises that The Guy had introduced, but the season was a waste for him. He checked his phone and got a notification of a trade involving his org, and for the second time this season, his face changed to a new expression, excitement. The Guy was doing something, and with that something Matias was beginning to see the vision.
Another week passed, SFV had won a game and Montreal had gotten relegated from division one. It marked their worst season ever, but something inside of SFV was rumbling, talks of a new coach, one for the future. The Guy got a message one day, it was from one of the assistant managers, " Would you be interested in staying to see out this rebuild?" The Guy took a moment, he knew that there was a possibility the rebuild never comes to fruition and he may be left disappointed. He looked to the sky for a moment, Germany was always a little cold, but it was a cold he liked. He enjoyed where the mist met the trees in the Black Forest, The Guy felt like in that space existed his hopes. How could he leave the forest without a proper goodbye? The Guy realized, the only proper goodbye would be one where he stood in front of the trees with the same suit and tie he wore on his first day, the same goofy smirk, but that day the mist would fall from the tips of the tree and meet him at his feet. That day, he could say goodbye. He sent a reply to his assistant manager, soon to become head manager with a simple yes.
The Guy had one last trick up his sleeve, he knew that he had to secure more bricks to build his foundation. So he sold his first overall pick for a return of 2 firsts, one for this draft and one for the next. Matias once again got a buzz on his phone where the notification told him of the news. And for the second time that season, he got excited. He had six seasons to win a trophy, but at the bare minimum he would see the rebuild begin its flow, and with that fact he was at peace.
Now, at the beginning of the tale I said something about cooking, and I feel like although I didn't get my Michelin star, at least I sold the restaurant to pay off my debts and get my credit score back to where I can ask for a new business loan. To my SFV/Montreal Comrades, have faith, many of you will see our glory days come back. There is a plan.
Ruins and rubble. That is what Germany felt like to Matias, a management office who didn't back the player, not like he deserved it but what does one really deserve in this life? He would wake up most mornings dreading training, the coach had given up, they ran the same tactics every week, to no avail bar some miracle performances from their striker. He didn't blame the management, he knew what was going on behind the scenes, and while disappointed he was able to push through it. Come the off-season, the manager had let the team know they were stepping down, but that someone sent in from the league management was there to take care of the club till they could find a suitable manager. The Guy stood there next to the ex-coach, in a suit and tie, a goofy smirk that didn't fill anyone with confidence, and a face that was not particularly aesthetically pleasing. Matias, sat next to his buddies stared upon The Guy, noticing his facial features, his wide shoulders, his lackluster stance. Matias decided to give it a chance, he believed that they really couldn't fall that much further down, eighth place was horrible, but it was the worst the organization had seen before the merger.
The Guy stared upon the players, many in the shape of their lives, looking at him with curious eyes. It's like being the animal at the zoo, the kids stare at you with some level of curiosity, they probably have never seen a penguin in person before. The Guy felt like a penguin. He knew he had a lot of work to do, but he had the assistant managers that the ex-coach had left behind so he knew he would receive some guidance. The Guy took the microphone after the short introduction to discuss what he would see as the season's vision, he spoke of grandeur, survival and winning titles. The Guy honestly thought it was in reach, these players looked good, they looked healthy, a little bit of a push and it would get them to where they needed to be.
The season had started, 3 games for both the majors and minors side had gone by, neither finding their footing. The Guy was scrambling, he was changing tactics game in game out, trying to find the pairings that worked well together. The Guy always liked puzzles, but not every puzzle comes with all the pieces. The odd part about this puzzle was that the pieces were both not all there, but some also changed shape depending on how he held them. He assisted his pieces as best he could, with his knowledge of the game and the help of his AMs he felt like at least he was leading them in the correct direction there. He didn't want to shake up the organization too much, he felt like trading away his pieces would lead to disaster, he was there to keep the peace and start what needed to be the reconstruction of an org in shambles.
3 more games had gone by, last place in both leagues, out of the cup, 1 point shared by both sides after 6 games. Matias decided to pay the steward a visit. Matias does not knock, he stepped inside of the office, startling The Guy. The Guy welcomed Matias into the room, but Matias was never a fan of formalities. He sat on the chair at the side of the room, it faced a couch, much like the set up one would see at a therapists office. The Guy liked the arrangement because he felt like it allowed his players and staff to be more open to discuss their most pressing issues with out any pressure. This time, The Guy took the couch. Matias opened with his assessment of the current situation, "Things are difficult in the locker room right now, silence fills the hallways, not even the janitors like to look at the players from the pure shame they carry from working at this org. I came to this organization four seasons ago, and had never imagined a situation like this, the future had looked bright. The minor team had just come off winning a title, today no one can win a game!" Matias' facial expressions only ever convey dismay, anger, or confusion, but today it expressed a new emotion, empathy. Matias continued, "I feel for you, you come to a club without a right back, young defenders, and absent attackers, I don't blame you. I know it takes more than a season to turns things around in a healthy manner, I don't recommend you sell all our assets for quick wins before we find ourselves in the same place in 3 seasons. What I do ask for you to do is finish the season, don't throw your hands up and shut yourself in your office till the BoD lets you go back to Stockholm." The Guy thanked Matias for his time, said that he appreciated his words and would of course stick around to finish the season, hopefully he can muster up some further options to get the organization growing healthily again. Matias left the room silently, said hello to the security guard, and got back into his vehicle to drive home so he could scroll twitter, drink mate, and get ready for the next day.
The moment had left The Guy with a lot of thoughts, he couldn't just leave this club when the season was over, but he also needed to start moving around some pieces. Forget the results, now the goal is to build back the base. The Guy got off the couch, went back to his desk and began to chuckle, he realized that the light always exists at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long the tunnel may be.
3 more games gone, Montreal had finally won a league game, and The Guy had made his first big move of the season right before deadline day. The player had asked to leave, so it did force his hand a little bit, but his goal to seek adequate compensation had succeeded. At that moment The Guy had secured an extra 3 picks for the next two drafts two in the first and second rounds of the upcoming draft and one in the third round for the season 26 draft class. He felt good, he knew he would also have the first pick of the upcoming draft class and with a total of 5 picks he could start building his foundation. He could have anyone he could want come to the organization, a new face for the future, a prospect to lead them to glory. But first he had to wait for the draft.
Matias, on the other hand was just begging for the season to end. The locker room had seen some vitality return because of some team bonding exercises that The Guy had introduced, but the season was a waste for him. He checked his phone and got a notification of a trade involving his org, and for the second time this season, his face changed to a new expression, excitement. The Guy was doing something, and with that something Matias was beginning to see the vision.
Another week passed, SFV had won a game and Montreal had gotten relegated from division one. It marked their worst season ever, but something inside of SFV was rumbling, talks of a new coach, one for the future. The Guy got a message one day, it was from one of the assistant managers, " Would you be interested in staying to see out this rebuild?" The Guy took a moment, he knew that there was a possibility the rebuild never comes to fruition and he may be left disappointed. He looked to the sky for a moment, Germany was always a little cold, but it was a cold he liked. He enjoyed where the mist met the trees in the Black Forest, The Guy felt like in that space existed his hopes. How could he leave the forest without a proper goodbye? The Guy realized, the only proper goodbye would be one where he stood in front of the trees with the same suit and tie he wore on his first day, the same goofy smirk, but that day the mist would fall from the tips of the tree and meet him at his feet. That day, he could say goodbye. He sent a reply to his assistant manager, soon to become head manager with a simple yes.
The Guy had one last trick up his sleeve, he knew that he had to secure more bricks to build his foundation. So he sold his first overall pick for a return of 2 firsts, one for this draft and one for the next. Matias once again got a buzz on his phone where the notification told him of the news. And for the second time that season, he got excited. He had six seasons to win a trophy, but at the bare minimum he would see the rebuild begin its flow, and with that fact he was at peace.
Now, at the beginning of the tale I said something about cooking, and I feel like although I didn't get my Michelin star, at least I sold the restaurant to pay off my debts and get my credit score back to where I can ask for a new business loan. To my SFV/Montreal Comrades, have faith, many of you will see our glory days come back. There is a plan.
![[Image: Screenshot-2025-07-13-130408.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/4dD4Rs1R/Screenshot-2025-07-13-130408.png)
