How Oldman Athletic Won The League! The Unlikely Story of an Ageing Underdog Six A-side Football Team Who Should Never Have Become Champions... But Did!

By Richard Parkes Cordock

Have you ever wondered what it takes to win an amateur football league?

In this book you’ll hear the story of Oldman Athletic, an ageing 6-a-side football team who, just like Leicester City, were never supposed to become champions. It should never have happened... but it did.

Told through the eyes of their captain, you’ll read how Oldman went from bottom of the league, to middle and then top. You'll read about the decisions they made and the thinking behind each decision. You’ll read about the strategies and tactics they adopted, and the things they did right in their title winning season, compared to what they did wrong in previous campaigns.

This is more than just a football book, it is a book about building a team and getting a group of individuals to come together who are worth more than the sum of their parts.

How Oldman Athletic Won the League is a must read for all football fans, especially those who play amateur football... but there are many lessons included in the book which are pertinent to business managers and leaders, and managers and leaders from all walks of life who want to achieve something extraordinary with their team.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Parkes Cordock
• Release date: Oct 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463998038

Richard Parkes Cordock

Richard Parkes Cordock is the founder of Enterprise Leaders Worldwide. Using the principles of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), the science of success, Richard met face-to-face with over 50 UK award-winning business leaders to decode their leadership styles. Through these digitally recorded interviews, Richard created the highly acclaimed mentoring programme – Millionaire MBATM which is used by over 23,000 entrepreneurs around the world. He later used the same teaching principles to develop Enterprise MentorTM (EM), which allows companies to engage with their employees, by taking mentoring out of the boardroom and into their workforce (at an affordable price). Richard is the author of five business books: Business Upgrade, and Millionaire Upgrade, both were published by Capstone Wiley and both were former WH Smith Business Books of the Month. More recently, he has written Profit Upgrade, People Upgrade and All Employees are Marketers. Richard speaks to companies about employee engagement, leadership, creating an enterprising/entrepreneurial culture, how to grow your business through your people – and how to keep your customer at the forefront of your business. He is an MBA and FCCA and lives in Bath (UK) with his wife and two children. Here’s what other business leaders are saying about Richard’s books and programmes: “The principles of success apply equally whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, chief executive of a large plc or simply looking for inspiration for your own personal life. Here’s where you start, by reading this book.” Allan Leighton – Chairman Royal Mail “Every employee has the ability to inspire change and innovation in their organisation” The Independent “It took me a long time to learn this stuff – I wish I’d been on that plane 30 years ago !” Simon Woodroffe OBE – YO! Sushi & Dragons Den “If you want a toolkit to help you become a successful entrepreneur – read this book. Then put it into practice.” Duncan Bannatyne OBE – Bannatyne Leisure & Dragons Den “Everything in business is a learning experience. I should know! I’d recommend all would-be entrepreneurs to read this book and be inspired to boldly set out on your own entrepreneurial journey. You won’t regret it.” Rachel Elnaugh – Founder of Red Letter Days and Panelist on Dragons’ Den “Entertaining, Inspiring, Insightful. I highly recommend it” Michelle Mone – MJM International “Originally, Richard decoded entrepreneurs and unpicked their mindset. With Millionaire Upgrade, he has put it all back together again through IBELIEVE and a compelling story. Very clever and a must read for any budding entrepreneur!” Rene Carayol MBE – Leadership Guru “In a world where entrepreneurs have taken on the cachet of celebrity and are as often to be found portrayed in movies and in the gossip columns as they are seen with dirt under the finger nails, it is refreshing to find a book that describes the key difference between the entrepreneur and the rest – attitude. So often in life a cigarette paper’s thickness separates success from failure and Richard has written a book that perfectly captures this and suggests a way of thinking that can transform the tin of dog food into a thoroughbred racehorse. Read it, enjoy it, steal mercilessly from it, add your own ingredient X and bring to the boil. I wish you success.” Tim Smit CBE – Eden Project “...captures the essence of what it takes to be successful in anything you choose to do. The rules of success are timeless and simply explained so you can apply them in your own business or personal life.” BJ Cunningham – Founder of Death Cigarettes “...you will realise it is actually a book about leadership, leadership of self. I encourage all Naked Leaders to read this book”. David Taylor – Author Naked Leader “The difference between success and failure in business is essentially down to entrepreneurial leadership. There is a mindset and persistence that sets successful entrepreneurs apart and it is clearly communicated in this book. Essential reading.” Martin Allison – Business Banking, RBS “Just reading the introduction I knew it was going to be good. Read, re-read and re-read again. It is all in here.” Mike Southon – Co-author The Beermat Entrepreneur, The Boardroom Entrepreneur and Sales on a Beermat “If you want success, then miss this at your peril. What Richard has done here, is make extremely accessible some very smart thinking and behaviours of highly successful people, which can be learned. This stuff works.” Michael Brook, Managing Director, Professional Excellence Training and Development “Pioneers are always looking for succinct advice from experts. After submersing himself in the world of the entrepreneur, Richard gives us the answers in an intriguing role play between two characters, with a genuine methodology that you can apply to your own business. You can read it on a plane journey, but the benefits will stay with you a long time after you’ve landed.” Jim Woods, Entrepreneur “The wisdom of real entrepreneurship in one volume. Get this book to upgrade your ambitions or stay true to the course you have set. Enjoy and be inspired.” Tom Butler-Bowdon – Author of “50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Work and Life From 50 Landmark Books “I think you’ve captured the passion, the sheer verve and energy of some of the best entrepreneurs in Britain. I wish it had been available when I started” Lord Harris – Founder CarpetRight “It’s not often that something on the business shelves succeeds in winning hearts and minds. This one does, and more! It really is the kind of thing that can make a difference” Lord Bilimoria – Founder Cobra Beer

Book preview

How Oldman Athletic Won The League!

The Unlikely Story of an Ageing Underdog Six A-side Football Team Who Should Never Have Become Champions... But Did!

HOW OLDMAN ATHLETIC

WON THE LEAGUE!

by

Richard Parkes Cordock

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Copyright © Richard Parkes Cordock 2018

First Published 2018 by ELW Publishing Bath, UK

ISBN: 9780463998038

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Overview

Have you ever wondered what it takes to win an amateur football league?

In this book you’ll hear the story of Oldman Athletic, an ageing 6-a-side football team who, just like Leicester City, were never supposed to become champions. It should never have happened... but it did.

Told through the eyes of their captain, you’ll read how Oldman went from bottom of the league, to middle and then top. You'll read about the decisions they made and the thinking behind each decision. You’ll read about the strategies and tactics they adopted, and the things they did right in their title winning season, compared to what they did wrong in previous campaigns.

This is more than just a football book, it is a book about building a team and getting a group of individuals to come together who are worth more than the sum of their parts.

How Oldman Athletic Won the League is a must read for all football fans, especially those who play amateur football… but there are many lessons included in the book which are pertinent to business managers and leaders, and managers and leaders from all walks of life who want to achieve something extraordinary with their team.

Table of Contents

Overview

Foreword By Gregor MacGregor

Oldman Players And Team

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Keep Hold Of Your Best Players (Retention)

Chapter 2 - Be Prepared To Let Players Go (Release)

Chapter 3 - Recruit New Players So Your Team Is Always Strong (Recruitment)

Chapter 4 - Set A Big, But Realistic Goal -- And Write It Down.

Chapter 5 - Get The Right Players In The Right Positions

Chapter 6 - Disciplined Performances

Chapter 7- Desire, Motivation And Belief

Chapter 8 - Create Tactics Which Take Advantage Of Your Strengths And Weaknesses

Chapter 9: Work Hard And Battle Harder

Chapter 10. 7 More Reasons Oldman Won The League

Chapter 11 - Keep Improving -- The End Of Oldman!

Chapter 12: Thoughts Of Ben Wilson - Club Tropicana Drinks F.C

Chapter 13. Steve Pyatt's Thoughts (Real Sosobad)

Chapter 14. Fran Harvey's Thoughts (Plus Fives)

Chapter 15. Matt Richardson's Thoughts (Lovehoney)

Chapter 16. Simon Withers' Thoughts (Oldman Athletic) -- My (Not So) Brilliant Career

Chapter 17: Will Hodges Thoughts (Ex-Oldman Athletic). Inside The Oldman Camp: Square Pegs, Round Holes… But Few Goals

Chapter 18. Dermott Rushe's Thoughts (Goalrushe) -- The Goalrushe Story

Chapter 19. Martin Fawley's Thoughts (Oldman Athletic)

Chapter 20. Rich Tomlinson’s Thoughts (Galaxy Blasters)

Chapter 21. Alex Williams' Thoughts (CMARP)

Chapter 22. Business Lessons From Winning The League

Chapter 23. Postscript - The World Cup (Russia 2018)

Chapter 24. Greg MacGregor's Original Unedited Foreword

Foreword by Gregor MacGregor

In ‘How Oldman Athletic Won the League’, you’ll hear the story of an ageing band of footballing brothers who united together to win the Future Fives 6-a-side league.

The book itself does a fine job of introducing the players and competitors, but I feel it is my duty to give you some background on the league. A league I know well, as I've played in it for many years, and I’m pleased to say, have won it several times as the former captain of a team called, Plus Fives. This is a team you’ll hear much about in this book, as Oldman Athletic battled it out with Plus Fives during the Winter/Spring 2017/2018 season.

Had Plus Fives won the league this year, there would be no book to write as they’d be expected to win. Had Club Tropicana Drinks F.C., the league’s perennial runners up eventually won the title, equally, there would be no shock there, and this book would not have been written... but when Oldman Athletic wins the league, there is a story worth telling.

Oldman were the classic 'also rans'... at best a mid-table team... at worst, one which was there to make up the numbers so the fixture list was even. They were never a team who looked likely to challenge for the title, yet alone win it. That all changed when the old men bizarrely set a goal to win the league this season -- and quite remarkably achieved it. In there is the story which is told in this book. A story which shows anything is possible in football when you get a team working together and playing to their strengths.

But before that story unfolds, first a word about the Future Fives 6-a-side league... a football league which was started over 20 years ago in the corridors of Future Publishing plc, once upon a time, one of the largest magazine publishers in the UK.

The league -- the brainchild of the dearly remembered Dave Williams -- began as a company wide knockabout on the concrete tennis courts at the back of the local leisure centre (a slippery moss doomed, water logged, ice rink -- affectionately known as the Carpark of Dreams). Eventually the league became all-out football war on a full astro pitch at a local secondary school (un-affectionately known as the Theatre of Screams, due to the carpet-burns and broken bones which comes with playing on astro).

Initially a 5-a-side tournament -- hence the league's name ‘Future Fives’ and my old team's name ‘Plus Fives’ -- , the league is now 6-a-side, but never changed its name to reflect this. This is one of life’s big mysteries solved.

One thing which remained the same however was the league gave company departments at Future Publishing the opportunity to kick lumps out of each other every Monday night.

Ad salesman, accountants, IT professionals, writers and editors, videographers, commercial bods, company seniors. No-one was above being slammed into the wooden side-boards with a well-timed shoulder charge.

The Carpark of Dreams saw many dream shattered, as well as many players.

To this writer's minds there have been ambulances called twice, one serious concussion, more than five broken bones and dislocations, and some three to four punches thrown over the seasons. It matters.

This is football. Our football. Our league. Our team. Our mates. Our wins.

Back in the day, when the pitch was hard and the goals were wide, there were few rules, and scores of 27-0 and more were recorded, working out at a goal every 67 seconds in a half hour game. Utterly ruthless and completely soul-destroying for a bunch of blokes you'd then laugh about it over an early morning cappuccino in the Deli the next day.

With fresh impetus and ideas and more teams than ever, some bureaucracy was needed, ably provided by the new sheriff in town: Mark Donald (a life-long player with GoalRushe, a team who have frequently challenged for the title, but to date have never won it).

Referees, rule changes, squad registration, collection of the monies, running the end-of-season do, sorting out on-pitch squabbles, establishing whether as a freelancer you still counted as a 'Future' employee or not, inspecting the courts to see if games were 'on' after a rainy Monday afternoon. There was much to do.

Roughly on par with the formation of the Premier League, the Last Supper, the Night of the Long Knives and Churchill's Yalta Conference, league officiator Mark Donald held a meeting out the back of the Royal Oak pub one hot summer night.

Legend has it that, with possibly more interest in the last plate of sausage rolls quickly disappearing, a motion was passed, change was afoot and the league was moving on. A new venue had been agreed: Beechen Cliff Boys School. An astro turf pitch at the top of the highest hill in the city. A ball breaker to get to, but a significant improvement on the old Carpark of Dreams.

With the new venue came new teams to the league, some from outside of Future Publishing. Oldman Athletic was one such external team -- even though it was made up with many ex-Future employees who had previously been fired, made redundant or jumped ship. All of them older, wiser, greyer and certainly slower.

As with the league, Oldman has changed over the seasons. It has evolved, refined and improved, to the point where it worked and for one campaign only, knocked Plus Fives off its top perch. Still staffed with a smattering of ex-employees of Future Publishing, Oldman now includes its fair share of dads... friends of dads... friends of friends… and waifs and strays.

As you read the pages which follow, you'll discover how Oldman Athletic won the league. But to leave you with a mental visual; picture a bunch of older guys, dressed in orange, puffing and panting, exhausted, often injured. And that's just getting to the pitch.

What Oldman did this season was something special and should be celebrated. Many teams have tried to win the Future Fives 6-a-side league, but few have actually done it. Oldman did it this year and this book is the perfect way to celebrate their winning season.

Gregor MacGregor

Ex-Plus Fives captain, Ex-Future Publishing employee and current football writer.

Oldman Players and Team

The Oldman team who played in the final match (Game 21). Photo taken at the end of season post-match awards ceremony. Front Row: Dudman, Withers, Lees, Palmer, RPC. Back Row: Gabs, Dan Kelly

Simon Lees - Goal Keeper

48 - Photographer

Appearances 17 / Goals 1

Leesy joined Oldman two seasons ago after a shock move from multiple league winners Plus Fives. Leesy is a natural left footer… some say he has two left feet, but that would be too generous. He is one of the fittest players in the Oldman team and can run and run. Unfortunately, he will run everywhere which makes positional play difficult. In his first season with Oldman Leesy played outfield, however this season (in a bid to control him), he played in goal and conceded only seven goals. Simon Lees is one of the best keepers in the league.

Simon Withers - Defender

55 - Journalist

Appearances 17 / Goals 1

Withers has played in the Future Fives league for many years and for various teams, but had never won the title... until now. Withers played in the original 2015 Oldman team and has always been one of the oldest players in the league. At the time of joining Oldman Withers was 52... he won the title with Oldman at the age of 55. Simon Withers is the ‘Denis Irwin’ of the team. Ultra reliable and a cracking defender who is brilliant at reading the game. He gets the odd goal too, when he is allowed to cross the halfway line.

Martin Fawley - Defender

42 - Project Manager

Appearances 15 / Goals 2

Fawley is a proper footballer and can even use the outside of his boot. He's taken some of his FA coaching badges and seems to know what he is talking about. Fawley has phenomenal positioning and is brilliant at reading the game... he is also capable of popping up and scoring the odd goal. Fawley is calm on the ball and is key in turning defence into attack. Martin Fawley joined Oldman in our second season and has been an integral part of the team ever since. Thankfully this season his hamstring has stayed in tact. That is a first.

Dave Dudman - Defender

55 - Software Engineer

Appearances 15 / Goals 0

Dudman is the hard man of Oldman. His first passion is rugby and many would argue he plays football like a rugby player, both in his tackling and shooting i.e. conversions which go out of the field, rather than shots which end up in the back of the net. Opponents struggle to get past Dudman. Those that do may come off worse and wish they hadn’t bothered. Dudman has an incredible competitive spirit and is one of the main reasons Oldman conceded so few goals this season. This was Dudman’s second season with Oldman, but he has played in the league for many years and won the title several times before with his previous team, Plus Fives.

Dave Manners - Striker

31 - School Teacher

Appearances 13 / Goals 24

Manners is by far, the best player in the league. Over six foot tall, he has a touch of Zinedine Zidane about him, but with his curly hair, looks more like Tony Woodcock of Arsenal circa 1985. Manners has a sublime first touch and is able to drift past players as if they were not there. Just when you think he has run out of options, he’ll dribble past another player and score. Opponents hate playing against Manners and the first question they ask each week is is Dave Manners playing for you tonight?. This was Dave Manners second season in the league with Oldman.

Dan Kelly - Forward

30 - Software Consultant

Appearances 12 / Goals 3

Dan Kelly is another natural left footed footballer. At 30, he is the youngest player in the team and not yet old enough to be called a proper old man. Dan joined Oldman this season, but had played in the league for many years and like Withers, had never won the title. In previous seasons Dan terrorised Oldman when we played against him. He is at his most dangerous charging down the left wing and unleashing his trademark shot. Dan has recently sold his Porsche 911, bought a motorbike and has shaved his head. Perhaps he is an old man after all!

Richard Parkes Cordock - Sub / Forward

48 - Business Consultant

Appearances 12 / Goals 0

That’s me, also known as RPC. I'm the author of this book. I last played football when I was at primary school and have never really played again until I was 43. In my mind, I am Gary Lineker of Mexico 86 and Italia 90, sadly my feet say something different. I prefer to play as a forward and am pretty good at holding the ball up and laying it off. At the back, I am a liability and give the ball away too often. I was one of the original founders of Oldman Athletic and have been captain for three and a half of our five competitive seasons. This year, I played more as a sub as well as a handful of matches when we where short of better players. As captain I was responsible for choosing the team. One person recently remarked that I was so ruthless this season that I wouldn't even pick myself. There was a good reason for that!

Mike Reece - Attacking Wingback

34 - Software Engineer

Appearances 11 / Goals 5

Mike Reece was signed mid-way through our title winning season. It's a good job we signed him as we wouldn't have won the league without him. Mike is reasonably tall and very slim. Not an ounce of fat on him. When we were ordering new shirts, most people chose medium, a couple chose large, and there was one XL order (enough said about that). Mike ordered a small. He likes his shirts tight. Mike is an incredibly competitive player and works harder than anybody else on the pitch. He is the engine of the team. A N'Golo Kante type player who can run and run. For all of Mike's athleticism, he can often leave the pitch looking exhausted. When Mike looks tired, you know he has put a shift in and has battled hard for the team.

Gabriel Sanchez - Attacking Wingback

30 – Software Engineer

Appearances 7 / Goals 7

There is something about Brazilians' that they are only known by one name. Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Neymar. We had Gabs. It was quite a coup to have a Brazilian player in our team, and it almost didn't happen as we initially thought Gabs was too young and too