On the first day back at training, Low arrived early as usual. But what took him completely by surprise was seeing David, the club chairman, standing on the training pitch himself—dressed in sportswear with a whistle hanging from his neck, looking every bit like a coach.
"My lord, this is the first training session? Are you planning to fire me and take over as head coach?" Low joked, though underneath his humor lay genuine uncertainty.
David shrugged, pretending not to understand the implication, his face a picture of mock innocence.
"You look like you're ready to step in as the coach, so what's the plan?" Low pressed, half-serious.
"I never told you I would be assistant coach for any team, did I?" David replied with a playful smile, though truthfully, he hadn't declared any such intention.
Low's face soured. When he had come to England to coach Notts County, all transfer decisions had been out of his hands. His authority was limited to training sessions and match strategies. Now, with the chairman also acting as assistant coach, how much control would he really have left?
Seeing Low's expression, David grinned and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Relax, mate. I'm a fan first and foremost. Even as chairman, I don't want to sit in a box away from the drama. I want to stand on the sidelines and soak it all in. Assistant coach is just the perfect role for that."
David's reassurance eased Low's worries, though a faint trace of regret lingered.
"You could just let go of your ambitions," Low said with a chuckle. "I can handle the frustrations and protests. You know how it gets—sometimes the team suffers because you lose your temper on the sidelines and get fined. Leave the emotional protests to me!"
Hearing that, David wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. This chairman—himself—was thoroughly unreliable, yet undeniably passionate. He wasn't a typical chairman; he was a loyal fan, nothing more, nothing less.
Feeling reassured, Low nodded and smiled but said nothing more.
To David's surprise, shortly after their chat, Low entrusted him with some responsibilities traditionally outside the chairman's remit.
David was assigned to be the club's psychologist—the man responsible for players' mental well-being.
In the modern, high-stress world of football, managing players' psychological health is as crucial as tactical instructions. Not every player possesses innate mental resilience.
A stable mental state often means players perform beyond 100% of their physical capabilities; conversely, psychological uncertainty can destabilize both training and matches. Mental strength complements physical ability.
As David contemplated his new role, he realized his chairman duties would become a sort of part-time occupation, shared with managing player welfare.
Players began arriving, forming a fresh first team. They were strangers to each other—some sharing nationality but not camaraderie.
It was inevitable. Notts County had become a true mercenary troupe. Only two English players remained in the entire first team. This starting lineup for the season might not even include a single Englishman.
Fortunately, there were no local player quotas in place yet. For the future, David was resolute.
He firmly believed that Notts County's youth academy would one day be the best in the world—producing homegrown talent to fill the squad and reignite local pride.
Though Low had just returned from a break, he never relaxed. Armed with the transfer list, he quickly immersed himself in studying the new players' strengths and weaknesses, crafting tactics tailored for this diverse ensemble.
Low had brought his longtime assistant coach, Buchwald, whom he trusted deeply from their time together at Stuttgart.
Buchwald was put in charge of physical conditioning, while Low and David remained on the sidelines engaged in planning.
"David," Low said bluntly, "we currently have 21 players in the first team. We don't have backups for every position. For league matches alone, this barely suffices. But if we want to compete seriously in cups, this squad is far too thin."
David nodded, somewhat amused.
"This lineup is my design from the ground up," he said. "Add a third goalkeeper, and we have 22 players—enough for the league, even a 24-team league with 46 rounds."
He hadn't expected the team to shake up the cups much this season. Whether it was the League Cup or the more prestigious FA Cup, he knew European qualification from these tournaments was unrealistic for a second-tier club like Notts County.
"Promotion is our primary objective this season," David emphasized.
Low shrugged but smiled confidently.
"True, promotion is vital. But with a squad this talented, why not dream bigger? Winning a cup and qualifying for Europe—that would be a remarkable feat for a third-tier club like ours. Imagine Notts County representing England in the UEFA Cup next season, making everyone sit up and take notice!"
David, confident in his mental resilience, was momentarily stunned.
A third-division team winning the cup?A second-division team playing in Europe?
The thought left him breathless.
Seeing David's hesitation, Low pressed on.
"Even if we don't win the cup, our young squad is no slouch. Getting to play against Premier League and Championship teams in cup games will accelerate their development far more than league fixtures alone."
David met Low's gaze and smiled.
"This much is true," he said softly. "Experience like that is priceless."
Sometimes, it was these wild ideas—these seemingly impossible ambitions—that fueled greatness.