The morning after the Highbury defeat, the atmosphere at Bodymoor Heath was sterile.
It was 7:30 AM, and the sun was barely cutting through the Midlands mist. Julian Vane sat in his office, a room that felt too large for a man the media had already branded a "dead man walking.
" On his desk lay the physical scouting reports provided by the club's staff—thick folders filled with subjective opinions and outdated statistics.
Julian didn't look at them. Instead, his focus was on the air in front of him.
[ LAYER 1 ACTIVE: THE EYE OF THE PROGENY ]
The interface was a grid of translucent blue. It had already mapped the entire training complex. As the first-team players began to pull their cars into the lot, Julian watched their data profiles populate through the walls.
[ SCANNING: FIRST TEAM SQUAD ]
He saw the numbers. Most of the squad hovered in the 130–140 range for Current Ability (CA). In the 2003 Premier League, that was enough to survive, perhaps even finish 10th. But to Julian, it was unacceptable.
He was looking for the outliers—the players whose Potential Ability (PA) suggested they could survive the tactical shift he was about to implement.
A knock came at the door. It was Graham Turner, the first-team coach. He looked like he hadn't slept, his eyes scanning the "Sacked in the Morning" headlines on Julian's desk.
"The boys are in the canteen, Julian," Turner said, his voice flat. "They're expecting a hairdryer treatment. After a 6-1, usually, the boss throws a few chairs."
"I don't throw chairs, Graham. It's a waste of kinetic energy," Julian replied, standing up and straightening his training jacket. "Gather them on Pitch 1. I don't want them in the gym. I want them on the grass."
Ten minutes later, twenty-four professional footballers stood in a semi-circle on the damp turf. The air was thick with skepticism.
To them, Julian was a kid who had played a few reserve games before his ACL exploded. He wasn't a "football man" in their eyes.
Julian walked into the center of the circle. As he moved, the [EMINENCE PROTOCOL] worked overtime.
[ TARGET: OLOF MELLBERG ]
[ CA: 148 | PA: 152 ]
[ MENTAL: 16/20 DETERMINATION | 14/20 LEADERSHIP ]
[ STATUS: SKEPTICAL / LOYAL TO TRADITION ]
[ TARGET: GARETH BARRY ]
[ CA: 145 | PA: 178 ]
[ MENTAL: 18/20 WORK RATE | 15/20 POSITIONING ]
[ STATUS: FRUSTRATED / SEEKING CLARITY ]
Julian stopped in front of Dion Dublin and Peter Crouch. The physical disparity between his strikers was a symptom of the club's confused recruitment.
"Yesterday was a failure of execution, but more importantly, it was a failure of identity," Julian began. He didn't raise his voice. He spoke with a clinical detachment that made some of the players shift uncomfortably.
"Some of you believe we lost because Arsenal is 'better.' That is a loser's mentality.
We lost because we adhered to a 4-4-2 structure that Arsenal's system is designed to exploit. We played into their hands."
"We're Villa, boss," a senior player, Mark Delaney, interrupted. "We've played 4-4-2 since I was in school. It's the English game."
Julian turned his gaze toward Delaney. The Protocol highlighted the defender's stats in red. He was at his ceiling. There was no room for growth.
"The English game is changing, Mark. And if you can't change with it, you'll be playing it in the First Division by next season," Julian said. The coldness in his voice silenced the group. "From this moment, the 4-4-2 is dead. We are moving to a three-man midfield.
We will prioritize ball retention and high-intensity recovery. If you cannot run 11 kilometers a game and maintain a 85% pass completion rate, you will not be on the bus to the next away match."
He turned to his assistant. "Graham, start the beep test. But add a ball at every turn. I want to see their technical proficiency under extreme cardiovascular stress."
As the players began the grueling drill, Julian walked the perimeter. He wasn't watching their faces; he was watching their "Stability" bars in the Protocol. He needed to find his "General"—a player he could build the new system around.
His eyes settled on Gareth Barry. At 22, Barry was already a regular, but the Protocol showed a PA of 178. That was world-class territory. Most managers saw Barry as a utility left-back or a steady midfielder. Julian saw the heartbeat of a European-dominating side.
[ SYSTEM INQUIRY: DATA SYNC ]
[ WOULD YOU LIKE TO ALLOCATE 'TACTICAL FOCUS' TO TARGET: GARETH BARRY? ]
[ COST: 50 PRESTIGE CREDITS ]
Julian checked his balance. He had earned 100 PC from surviving the press conference and the board meeting.
Yes.
[ SYNC INITIALIZED... ]
[ GARETH BARRY WILL NOW ASSIMILATE 4-3-3 TACTICAL POSITIONING AT 300% SPEED. ]
Julian watched as Barry navigated the drill.
While others were stumbling, Barry's movements became sharper, more economical. He was beginning to see the passing lanes before they opened.
"He's looking sharp today," Turner whispered, coming up beside Julian. "Better than the others."
"He's the only one who isn't fighting the change," Julian said.
But Julian knew he needed more. The current squad was bloated with "average" Premier League talent. He needed a catalyst—a player from the outside who would signal the start of the new era.
He opened the [BLACK MARKET OF LEGENDS] in his mind. The shop was a void of shifting icons and locked dossiers.
Because his Manager Level was still low, most of the "Legendary Blueprints" were greyed out. However, the [WONDERKID RADAR] was pulsing.
[ SEARCH CRITERIA: UNDER 19 | PA > 180 | POSITION: ATTACKING MIDFIELD/WINGER ]
[ SEARCHING... ]
A list of names appeared. Most were already at major clubs. Cesc Fàbregas was at Arsenal. Lionel Messi was in La Masia. But then, a ping occurred in Portugal.
[ TARGET FOUND: CRISTIANO RONALDO DOS SANTOS AVEIRO ]
[ CLUB: SPORTING CP ]
[ AGE: 18 ]
[ CA: 138 | PA: 196 ]
[ STATUS: NEGOTIATING WITH MANCHESTER UNITED ]
Julian's heart skipped. It was August 2003. In the real timeline, Manchester United was days away from signing Ronaldo after a friendly match. The window was closing.
"Graham, who is our contact in Lisbon?" Julian asked abruptly.
Turner looked confused. "Lisbon? We were looking at that lad from Sunderland, weren't we?"
"Forget Sunderland," Julian said, his brain running through the financial variables. "We have a scouting budget of £5 million left for the summer. I need a flight to Portugal tonight."
"Julian, the board will never approve five million for a teenager from the Portuguese league. Not after a 6-1 loss. They want experience. They want a 'safe pair of hands'."
Julian looked at the [EMINENCE PROTOCOL] and saw the [PREDATOR'S NEGOTIATOR] function. It was locked. He couldn't use the system to force the board's hand yet. He had to rely on his own intelligence.
"They won't approve it if I ask for 'a teenager'," Julian said. "They'll approve it when I show them the projected ROI. If we don't buy this boy now, we'll be playing against him for the next twenty years. And he will be the one scoring the six goals."
Julian headed back to his office. He had six hours to compile a data presentation that would convince Doug Ellis to outbid Sir Alex Ferguson. It was an impossible task for a normal 25-year-old.
But Julian Vane was no longer normal. He was a man with the world's endgame programmed into his mind.
He opened his laptop and began to code a scouting model that shouldn't exist for another fifteen years, merging the Protocol's data with real-world financial projections.
The purge had begun, but the recruitment would be the revolution.