Etc - A Brief Career in Management

Always be ready for the unexpected, a decent enough motto for anyone, and certainly for teachers. I reluctantly agreed to 'manage' (i.e. go and watch) a Year 7 football team this morning. One of the school's two Deputy Head Boys (the nice one, not the red-top editor) told me that this combined two things I know nothing about - football and Year 7's. Charming. Anyway, I ambled over to the astro-turf at our away venue to motivate my team. Fortunately, I spied a parent who looked as if he might know what to do, and quickly installed him as the executive manager - I saw myself taking on a more non-executive role. He readily agreed, we motivated the Year 7 'C' team, and off we went. Largely without incident, although several goals in (to the Opposition), the ref called our attention to the fact that we seemed to be fielding an 8-man team, and did we know this was a 7-a-side match? I can see the problem. We removed a player, and almost immediately SGS began their goal-scoring. So we'd overcrowded the field. I see.

We didn't quite win, as such, in strict who-got-most-goals terms, but I think we won on spirit. And it was the highest scoring game, at 10-6. Don't think I'll be repeating my stint as non-executive manager though, despite the presence of an MP's son in the team. I went over to see the Firsts dish the opposition for the rest of the morning - they were wearing their bright new strips in readiness for the China tour. So let me see, the kit was made in China, came to England via Tennessee, and will be heading back out to China shortly. We could have cut out some middlemen there, surely?!