A compact, slightly outdated function room, still smelling faintly of stale pints and sausage rolls from last night's quiz night. Rows of chairs face a red-draped table bearing the Altrincham FC crest. The room is tighter than a proper press suite — journalists shuffle, cameramen jostle, mics dangle.
Around 25 reporters, mostly local — Altrincham Messenger, MEN, BBC Radio Manchester — but there are a few national outliers. The Athletic, Non-League Paper, maybe even a curious scout or two. The air is thick with low mutters and sceptical amusement.
At the table:
BILL WATTERSON, club chairman, stiff with nerves, dressed like a man who sells insurance, not dreams.
ERIC DEMPSEY, 34, sharp tracksuit, dead calm, eyes like razors.
MICHELLE ROBERTS, media officer, composed and professional.
Michelle taps the mic, voice cutting through the chatter.
MICHELLE
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today. As many of you know, we've spent the summer identifying a leader with the drive and vision to move this club forward. We believe we've found him. To explain more, here's our chairman, Bill Watterson.
BILL WATTERSON
(Clears throat, uneasy)
Thanks, Michelle. Today we officially welcome Eric Dempsey as manager of Altrincham Football Club. Eric has a track record of changing the fortunes of struggling sides — Bologna in Serie B, CSKA Dobrich in Bulgaria — and now he's chosen to bring that same energy to Moss Lane. We believe he's the man to take this club where it's never been. Eric?
Eric leans forward, not even glancing at his notes.
ERIC DEMPSEY
Thanks, Bill. Right — let's not waste anyone's time. I'm here because this club needs a reset. A brutal one. If you've got questions, ask them. I won't duck any of it.
MARK JENKINS (ALTRINCHAM MESSENGER)
Mark Jenkins, Messenger. Eric, your CV speaks for itself. But why Altrincham? Why now? You've done big things abroad — this is a club that's never even sniffed the EFL in nearly half a century.
ERIC DEMPSEY
Because everyone else laughs at this club. That's why.
(Silence.)
Let's be honest — around the National League, Altrincham is a punchline. A cosy non-league name people use in jokes. "Plucky Alty." "Good pitch, soft touch." And frankly? That attitude's infected the place from top to bottom.
I came because I want to end that. You've been outside the Football League for 45 years. That's not misfortune. That's culture. A culture of settling. That ends now.
SARAH COLLINS (BBC MANCHESTER)
Sarah Collins, BBC Manchester. There's talk you've told the board you want Championship football within five years. Is that a serious target?
ERIC DEMPSEY
It's not a target. It's a statement of intent.
(Leans in, measured but unwavering)
In five years, I expect us to be in the Championship, with serious infrastructure and a team capable of pushing for the Premier League. That's the level of belief I bring. And if that sounds ridiculous to anyone in this room — good. I want it to.
PETER RILEY (THE ATHLETIC)
Peter Riley, The Athletic. Eric, I have to ask — this club's part-time. Small budget. You're talking about triple promotions and a total culture shift. How?
ERIC DEMPSEY
(Cold smile)
Part-time? Not anymore. That's already been agreed. We go full-time immediately. New facilities, new structure, new mindset.
How do we get there? Same way I did it in Italy and Bulgaria. Relentless standards. Uncomfortable honesty. Smarter recruitment than anyone else in the league.
We won't sign has-beens. We won't touch players who coast on reputation. We'll sign winners. Unknowns. Lads who've been overlooked. My network runs deep, and believe me — there are players desperate for a shot and ready to bleed for a cause.
JOURNALIST 3 (NON-LEAGUE PAPER)
But Eric — this is the National League. You can't just magic up Championship players.
ERIC DEMPSEY
No — but I can build Championship behaviours. That starts with training like a pro. Eating like a pro. Thinking like a pro.
You turn a squad of misfits into a machine by demanding more than anyone thinks is reasonable. That's the problem here. Altrincham's expectations have been in the gutter for decades.
I'm not interested in what's been acceptable. I'm interested in what's possible.
MARK JENKINS
You mentioned Oldham. Was that close? Are you using Alty as a launchpad?
ERIC DEMPSEY
Oldham rang. So did a League One club. But Altrincham? Altrincham was raw. Unpolished. Still ignored.
That's what drew me in. There's no blueprint here. No excuses. If we make history, it'll be ours. All of it. I'm not here to top up a CV. I'm here to shock the system.
SARAH COLLINS
You've been called intense. Difficult. Combustible, even. How do you think that fits with a club that prides itself on being "community first"?
ERIC DEMPSEY
Community doesn't mean comfort. It means pride. And people here deserve a club that aims higher. If I ruffle feathers by setting high standards, so be it.
Players who can't handle it — they're gone. Staff who don't buy in — they're gone. The community will thank me when they're watching EFL football at this ground.
PETER RILEY
Last one from me — what's your message to the fans?
Eric straightens. No smile now.
ERIC DEMPSEY
To the fans? I say this:
You're not a joke. You're not a fifth-tier footnote. You're not "plucky."
But the only way we stop being laughed at... is if we stop accepting this as enough.
Pack the stands. Expect more. Demand more. And if you stick with me — through the hard days, the cold Tuesday nights, the pain of change — I'll give you a club that scares people again.
Five years. Championship. No limits.
Eric stands. Chairs scrape. Flashes go off. Bill looks half in shock, half in awe. Michelle instinctively reaches for the mic, but Eric's already on his way out the side door, boots squeaking against the old carpet.
The room erupts — questions shouted, pens racing, stunned silence giving way to disbelief and reluctant admiration.