#i like to believe post game she comes back to Albion

[thisisntreaver]

Thinking about how Whisper is so determined to prove herself to her brother and one up you she is literally willing to ruin her reputation. You're her biggest rival literally because one time you beat her while sparring in front of her brother. Thunder is the most important person in her life, and she just wants his approval which he continously refuses to give her. It doesn't matter how bad it makes her look. Like if you choose to protect the greatwood orchard, she'll go against it just because she sees you took it. She literally says that.

Whisper leaving Albion, away from Thunder who barely acknowledges her after she begins training. Away from you who is not only her friend, but her main rival, and biggest reminder of her mistakes, is really the best decision she could have made. And its really the only one we see her mke for herself.

[kukukape]

Richard Malik x Operative: The Whistleblower

This the first time I've posted a fic in a while, but I'm excited! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist 😊

Tags: @simping-for-sandayu-oda @luciewarrenx3

•••

Richard had to admit, he'd come up with more... enjoyable plans than this one. He grunted as the Albion thug's knee collided with his stomach, again. Wanker was enjoying this way too much.

His eyes flicked to the camera ever so subtly. Not that the bastard would've noticed, he was too busy trying to decide which way to assault Richard Malik next. But he could see it moving around a bit sporadically, as if its operator were trying to get his attention.

And even in the midst of great pain, he had to fight a smirk. Things were already going accordingly.

"U-ugh!" He grunted as the Albion guard pulled him up by his hair and punched him in the face.

Welp, time to fall back into character.

"I-I'm not who you think I am, I-I swear!"

A slap across the face. Backhanded. Richard had to admit, that hurt his pride more than it did his face.

"You're Malik! A SIRS officer and a leaky fucking twat!" Richard, with his forehead resting against the cold concrete, found himself wanting to smile at his own notoriety.

Malik. That name carried weight in SIRS. In London's infrastructure of justice and security. This scared, begging persona wasn't him. This was a choice.

He was a spy. Slippery, and willing to relinquish his true character for his mission.

His breathing quickened with faux fear as the Albion officer picked him up by the collar, bunching up his silken silver tie amidst the action. "That's not me, I s-swear to god, please- PLEASE-"

---

Angel's heart nearly stopped when Bagley cut the feed. "Fuck…" she whispered. She had half a mind to curl up on the curb and let a grey gloom consume her, but Bagley was too much of a dick to allow that.

"Fuck is right! And fucking dead is what he'll be if you don't hurry," he said in his not-so-robotic deadpan.

Dead. Murdered. Killed?

All words and possibilities that resonated with Angel. She took a deep shaky breath, squeezing the steering wheel of her Atterley. "Drop a pin please, Bags," she said.

"I already did, while you were having a little panic attack."

Instead of meeting his snark with her own, Angel kicked the car into gear, speeding towards the construction site. From first gear to third, then sixth... and she was skidding to a stop by the sidewalk before she knew it.

Her optik buzzed as someone got onto comm. It was Brian, the team's most senior hitman. "Scope the place out before you go in. This could be a trap for all we know, so-"

The soft patters of a silenced P9, followed by two separate cries cut Brian off.

"Angel! Bagley, what's she-"

"She's storming the place like the baboon cousin she is!" Bagley exclaimed, "You know for a spy, she's rather uncovert." Which only said the absolute least.

The bodies were shrouded before the spy moved on, picking off another soldier just as they were turning the corner. A bullet between his eyes before he even knew he was in danger, and cloaked to make his death even less apparent.

Pressed against a corner wall, Angel took her phone out and let the news drone above become her eyes. "Bagley, help me find him," she said urgently.

"There's a closed off room in the back. Try there," he said. Angel jumped from camera to camera, her heart squeezing a bit every time she didn't see Richard.

Just when she was about to crack her phone in her grip, she saw him. Wrists tied, on his knees, gaze trained on the floor as he tried to catch his breath.

Angel knew this picture of him. Years ago, in a dirt-floored cell where they huddled together for just an inch of warmth. The image made her shudder, so forcefully mentally that she did so physically too.

She flinched again when Brian came over the comm. "Alright, there he is. I suggest you take out the rest of the guards before you go in," he said.

From soldier, to spy, and now to soldier again. Angel nodded as she squeezed the hilt of her gun. "I'll get right on it."

---

Richard chewed the inside of his cheek as he stared at the floor. He could feel a pair of eyes on him once again, staring through that same metal lense. He didn't dare turn to look, didn't dare break character.

Until he heard the camera screech, as if it wanted him to turn. And, flinching in surprise, he did.

He looked at the camera, wondering why the DedSec operative who'd come for him wanted to make their presence so known. Richard eyed the camera for a moment, searching for something deeper beyond the blank, metallic lense.

Of course, he found nothing. But just the notion of the operative- who he was all too sure was finally here- trying to communicate you're safe, it's okay, made him want to chuckle.

He gave the camera an acknowleding smirk, and ever so slight tilt of his head.

"AHH!" A soldier just outside screamed.

Richard's head whipped around again, and he heard some indecipherable yelling, along with the heavy footsteps of Albion-approved military boots. Somebody was obviously getting their ass kicked outside, because he only heard one person grunting in pain as limbs connected with their target.

Then silence.

He never really liked the quiet. It meant that nothing was happening, and for Richard, something always had to be happening. He couldn't predict quiet. Couldn't scheme it, outsmart it.

Thank god it didn't last long, before the metal door squealed open and quiet footsteps pittered in.

Richard kept his gaze down, as would a man currently fearing for his life. He'd been that enough times to know how to imitate it.

The 'fwoop' of a knife unsheathing made him flinch genuinely. But a steady, smooth... familiar voice eased him.

"Easy. It's just me," she said. Just me, she said. As if he were supposed to know her.

And he did. Oh lord, he did. And the mixture of fear, anger, regret, and happiness in him was too genuine for somebody so used to lying in the face of everyone short of his mother and father's graves.

The fearful part of him was scared to turn around and look at her as she cut through his restraints easily. But he didn't have a choice really, as she walked around and kneeled in front of him, cupping his face with both hands and searching for any injuries to his visage.

Richard was a confident man. Strong, assured, and decorated from head to toe in awards that highlighted his ingenius.

But he looked like a dumb fish in that moment, his mouth slightly ajar and eyes wide.

"…Angel?" He asked softly as her calloused fingertips subconsciously brushed across his brow, stretching down to touch his jaw.

---

"That's my name," she said dryly as she searched his face, looking anywhere but his eyes. Her hand reached into the pocket on his shirt, where she knew he kept a handkerchief. "Hold still, you look horrible," she said. Not that a handkerchief was gonna fix that, but whatever.

She wiped blood from his jaw, and the bits that had gotten onto his cheek. She chewed on the inside of her cheek to keep more words than necessary from escaping her.

I missed you.

Are you okay?

I know this is a farce, so what are you playing?

All reasonable, but Angel couldn't utter any of them. Because Richard Malik, her friend for all of their youth, her partner in war, her lover for that one night back in college, was right in front of her.

She raked a hand through his hair, which was as close to saying I'm glad you're okay as she was gonna get. And he grabbed her wrist gently.

Brown eyes met a lighter shade. Both of them soft, affectionate, and untrusting.

"You're Dedsec," he said it firmly but quietly. Looking for confirmation. Hoping she'd say no, she just happened to be walking down the street and decided to shoot up a restricted Albion area for shits and giggles.

But she nodded. And a pride she never had while working at SIRS shined in her eyes.

Angel helped him to his feet and cleared her throat. They clearly weren't gonna do the whole "So what've you been up to the past six years?" thing, so she spoke first, "We got the call from you. What was that all about?"

A look of shock passed over Richard's eyes. And Angel could tell what he was thinking. Probably wondering where that smile she always used to greet him with had gone.

But he remembered himself quicklyc straightening his tie with a nervous hand. "I'll upload the intelligence onto an anonymous FTP. You can sort through it-"

"No, I want to hear it from you," Angel cut him off rigidly.

Richard inhaled as his whole "My name is Richard Malik, herdyderdyder," speech was thrown out the window. "I believe I've discovered who Zero-Day really is; rogue SIRS officers from the CT unit who then framed Dedsec for the TOAN bombings."

"Men working under you?" Angel raised one elegant brow. "I always got the impression the CT unit was always fiercely loyal," she commented.

And back to the games they went. This time, for the first time, against each other.

He let out a humorless laugh. "You know how good I am at making enemies," he said, reaching for the door handle.

"Wait, Richard," she said quickly. Angel's hand shot out to grab his arm. He looked down at her in surprise.

…Down at her.

Since when was he so damn tall? And handsome…

No, no, stop it, monkey brain.

"I…" Angel's jaw moved uselessly for a moment, before she simply yanked him into am embrace. Richard made a surprised sound. Way too many surprises for one day for him.

But this one, he could tolerate.

Hesitantly, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders while hers linked around his neck tightly. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, and he could smell the shampoo drifting from her hair. "It's… good to see you again, Angel," he said quietly.

Angel chuckled once, before inhaling sharply and slowly pulling away. Out of his reach once again.

"We'll, uh... check out the info," she said, nodding before moving to step by him. But she paused by the door, then reached back over to him. Richard watched dumbly as she fixed his silver tie, straightening it back up and patting his chest twice. And she smiled.

"You grew up nicely, Richard," she said, before slipping out the door.

Richard stood there dumbly for a moment, a thousand different things racing through his head.

But the one thing that stood out the most was the fact that his plans had definitely just been shaken.

~end~

[dwestfieldblog]

A VERY REMOTE ENGLISH TEACHER

Where meditations, rants, reverie and absent seizures cross over... closer to one gun with one bullet, the rose of ruby and the cross of gold...uff, and MENTACIDE IN THE TIME OF MASQUES. Although I have never suffered from the guilty masochistic torture of ‘pleasure anxiety’, Bacchus hath indeed drowned more men than Neptune.  So I stopped drinking for 18 days to fool myself I was doing something positive and threw away enough things to be minimalist again. Arf. Beauty and/or function uber alles.  

Been treading water for three years and trying not to drown...big round of one hand clapping for the former poet. Meanwhile, in this temporary world and perception I have created of it, I am looking at a very possible exile one way or the other...my ‘plan’...a long phased withdrawal or hasty retreat. My wish is to stay, but once I leave, it might well be very hard to return.  Read as many metaphors as you want into that but in spite of my dislike of the conservatively minded Aristotle’s ‘either/or’ nonsense, there do indeed appear to be only two this time. And appear is the operative word. Appearances can be deceptive and emotions (unless raised and focused) cloud over what should be clear. Pain has a tendency to breed worry and fear too but let’s draw a veil over that for now eh? Suppress, suppress, release comes later...breathe deep and try not to cough, onward we go where the game gets rough...Just like Tom Thumbs Blues 65.  

Remember Roman Protasevich...As Lukasenko himself said...‘Belarus stood at the edge of an abyss and I helped it take a step forward’. Look good on your tombstone that will Al. Fecking outrageous the Indian PM only admitted in May that covid was transmitted in the air. He needs removing... as do two thirds of all the other world leaders East and West. Hello Bollsanaro. People are very easy to manipulate when they’re are scared or angry...and right now the world majority are both. But, ‘there is a crack in everything... that’s how the light gets in’... and ‘things could change’, doesn’t have to be for the worse. It can take decades to realise this as actual truth, but still nice to read and try internalise the following last week.’The odds actually favour the optimists, since dissipate structures are more likely to evolve into more information rich (intelligent?) forms than into primitive or chaotic forms.’ All my friends bar my best one are optimists..Hello you:-)

Ever onward deeper downward with Orban in Hungary and his mission of ‘Christian values’, which involves a familiar routine of arresting, beating and disappearing dissenters in the name of Christ and taking over the universities to replace professors with those who understand on which side their bread is buttered. Decent judges long gone. Nice fascist communism...and ex soldiers in France and the Czech republic warning of civil war...

And now spiraling we go into the black hole vortex of Disaster capitalism, ‘Let the bodies pile high’. There’s gold in them thar ills....ISLAND PARANOIA and PERFIDIOUS ALBION! A country which demands a contract, agrees, signs to it and then refuses to honour it. We look worse than ridiculous, we look deceitful. Gentlemen, your places please. Boris Johnson is a clumsy, inept, disgraceful charlatan, con merchant and LIAR. A blustering master bullshit artist, the only decent thing about his recent secret wedding is that now he legally has one less bastard child.  

Recently I read that British people are displaying signs of Stockholm syndrome...in that they dislike those who hold power over them and make the rules but during the time of pandemic, they are the ones who will release the saviour vaccine and get everything moving again. So rather than rocking the boat and daring to express dissent at the DIABOLICAL handling of the last 18 months, they have mostly kept quiet and voted for the same endlessly failing, corrupt and venal politicians who made a bad situation far worse. (That said, it bears repeating that there are a few million in the UK who didn’t quite understand that that the spread of a highly contagious airborne virus can be slowed by the wearing of masks/applying basic hygiene and even took offence at being told what should have made sense to any adult homo SAPIENS half capable of cogitating for themselves. Morons and scum. Same where you are?

By the way BBC...the colossal dearth of stories about the endless government failures in relation to Covid, death, corruption and the NHS...ever since they blackmailed you with threats of revoking the TV licence fee and got you to change Directors has been noted. Long may Have I Got News For You continue the satire and balance needed in a DEMOCRACY. Obey your public servants? Why, when they do not serve few but themselves? Power OF the people? Which ones...the mob? The same bleating pricks who follow populists?

Four eyed beanpole fop Rees Mogg, with his wonderful line that the benefits of Brexit will be seen ‘over the next fifty years’...well yes, that is why most people vote in democratic elections eh?...So they will be dead or ancient before the change they hoped for comes...and the politicians who lead them now, will have all long moved on to revolving door chairman of the board offshore limited liability company paradise. Bread today jam tomorrow fairytales. What I tell you three times is true.  

O, but the English do so love to be told what to do by dumb posh boys who treat them like dirt. Some are forelock tugging and some are self flagellating middle class upper class wannabes who will never get there but still feel proud they are not street level proles. Doby the house elf alien hamster Michael Gove found guilty of breaking the law. Nothing. Internal inquiries run by those connected to the money changing hands find nothing illegal. Corruption for all to see...and ignore. ‘Well, what can we do?’ The uselessly inept serial failure Dido Harding to be in charge of the National Health Service? (she of the collapsed Woolworths, Talk Talk and the 22 BILLION pound loss of the Covid Track and Trace program where non working consultants/insultants, were paid 1000 pounds a day). American style privatisation is coming where only the wealthy or criminal can afford to be repaired and well. Sick.  

Meanwhile, All our imported nurses out, and all the lobster red fat Spanish costa de la sol criminals back in. Great exchange, fair trade and forward thinking. The Kremlin are manipulating/supporting Scottish independence... I read years ago about their base in Edinburgh for Russia Today (the foul insert in The Daily Telegraph) and they were already encouraging it. Rees Smug has accelerated and supported their freedom with his snobbish utterances on countries in the UK other than England and their ‘foreign languages’. With every patronising, arrogant pronouncement, the Eton trifles fuel the fire in Scotland which has a long bitter history of being tortured, murdered and subjugated by their southern masters. Perhaps the chumocracy in Downing Street believe the Celts to be as easily cowed as the middle and working classes down south. Here’s hoping not. ‘Rebellious Scots to crush’? Not this time pal.

As for the future of Britain? A dystopian open prison where the lower social classes toil only at the pleasure of their masters. The higher caste getting richer and all others cast into a living Hell of debt, crime, and sickness. Serve until you die and be thankful we allow you to exist. Increasing in utter irrelevance to the world, other than as an example of how wrong a former democracy can go. This future started decades ago...its baobab roots truly deep now. Better education and critical thinking for the masses in the UK (or anywhere else) is highly unlikely now. Optimism huh? As long as I am not in England, I will still be able to tap into it, but once enclosed long term in the group mind there...trapped in a grey quagmire. Keep smiling...

Several weeks ago, I watched a video on YT of apparently English protestors running after the police in London, some attacking and throwing things, one pulling off the pandemic mask of an officer and all shouting abuse at the outnumbered cops who had to keep pulling back. As always, to get my caffeine rush of fury going, I read the comments and was surprised to see two or three from Chinese names. Almost all comments were against the government (fair enough) and dumb against the lock down, masks, vaccinations etc. Checking again, I saw the video had been posted by CGTN...a media company owned and run by the communist party in Beijing...and not one author of diatribes had mentioned this, nor speculated with a critical thought as to why such an organisation might enjoy turning people against their own democratically elected government (however mind rippingly foul and corrupt they are).

I copy pasted the Wikipedia paragraph about the company onto the page and hoped someone else would make the connection. I wouldn’t mind so much IF there were a credible and decent alternative other than the diseased populist poison for which the demonstrating goons chant. China really cares about the standard of democracy in Britain eh? Persuade your enemies to weaken themselves. Destroying countries by encouraging their ‘patriots’.

(That was written on the anniversary of Tienanmen Square...a few days later Xi Jinping gave a speech saying ‘...a lovable and respectable’ China must be presented to the world and must ‘expand its circle of friends’. Tell that to your teenage ‘dissidents’, Muslims, Falun Gong and Tibetans being tortured and brainwashed in prisons or being used for organ harvesting. Tell it to Hong Kong and Taiwan.) 

Unholy America...against abortion and the pill, sex education’s not Gods will and in the Name of Christ they kill...if truth be known, we’ve failed the test...but Jesus was a Socialist and Republican conservatives hate them. The founding fathers of America were Very clear about separation of church and state with damn good Reason. Another part time Christian, Mike Pompeo wants to be president. Q Onan deepstorm morons/Kremlin stool pigeons aka POLEZNYYE IDIOTY continue to push for Trump and his Big Lie...He with the brain where ‘In the left, nothing is right and in the right, nothing’s left.’ Arf.

Over the last two decades, the dumb have been finding their voice and are now louder and prouder of their dumbass ignorance. 74 million in the US alone, their egos unable to retreat in the face of endless evidence to the contrary, they all double down. Like children sticking their fingers in their grimy ears sing songing ‘la la la can’t hear you’. 74 million versions of Eric Cartman, loud, proud and wrong. And uuff, Megan Markle,  Majorie Taylor Greene, walking Picasso collage (bad car driver) Caitlin Jenner and Ivana Trump in politics...not exactly holding a proud lantern for women eh? I’d like to buy them for what they are worth and sell them for what they think they are worth. Not very PC?  

That was the point. Could easily been written about all of the men written about here too. Next examples follow...

Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones compete for who can be as mentally ill as trump. The Miami school where the husband and wife directors told teachers not to return if they had HAD their vaccine shots because their proximity to students was interfering with menstrual cycles and uuuufff...The sickness of utter mind buggering stupidity. I had my first shot, now waiting to turn reptilian when the 5G masts triangulate my position. Fnord. Covid appears to be killing more overweight meat eating males than females...perhaps testosterone is not useful for the coming Race of non binary mutant hermaphrodites...and look out for the end of the Y chromosome, coming to a temporary universe near you...in 4.6 million years. Yes, really.  

Glad Netanyahu is out at last, smug corruption is never a good look unless one is a rich criminal. Ha.  The Promised land of Israel...If I was in court for serial murder, breaking, entering and stealing and then defended my actions by saying that God had told me to do it, would the Judge; A. Call for a psychiatric report, B. Disregard the statement as unprovable and pass the appropriate sentence, C, say Ok mate, you’re free to go, good luck to you. ? Moses had a good schtick.

The law is only to punish the poor, do you feel as if you suffer from empathy? Once you know, you no longer need to believe. What does ‘reality’ seem to be? The more certain you are, the stupider you get and belief is the death of intelligence. The machine is running the engineers. What is the definition of rationality...the quality of being based on or in accordance with reason or logic. 

Nothing is, but thinking makes it so. Epicurus.  

EVERYTHING NOT COMPULSORY IS FORBIDDEN.

The glamour illusion of the mass of pointless hot influencers needs a constant renewing of the Banishing Ritual as much as all the pigslop bile coming from Fox News and Sky. Bloody long haired commie liberal faggot they cry against any not identical to them. Some days I have only flamethrowers of hatred for these idiots. Other days...not exactly self doubt, just questions...most of us seem to believe our opinions are more valid when there are emotions connected to them. Including me. Again, this seems like a very weak version of ‘truth’, unless disciplined, channeled and focused to a certain end.

Life appears to exist in order to become via chaos.

Most of us are working only not to be homeless, some because of the joy in our chosen work regardless of finances. Until ‘reality’ kicks in the door...the bondage gets tighter when you struggle. How much hardship is the individual willing to endure these days by choice? Surrounded by a universe of distraction and destruction, Maya mewling for our attention. Five years of Trump, rampant populism and Brexit doing a Hexagram 23 on democracy, compounded by the pandemic...all on top of ‘normal’ daily life. The ego feeds and the immune system breaks down. Hard to ignore without being on a mountain or in a parallel dimension and emotion free other than compassion. But BY GODDESS IT CAN AND WILL BE DONE. Ladies of Life Nin Khursag, Isis, Kali, Aradia...Love one, Love ALL. At very least have respect for thyself but be not thou proud of thine arrogance nor thy suffering.  

Or just Remember where you came from, what you were, seem to be and will become.

Heal, heal, more work to do, more love to give, more love to feel, Heal. Stay in drugs, eat your school and don’t do vegetables. Impose your own reality upon and through yourself, breathe, exhale, repeat, and continue, LOVE UNDER WILL. Experience and absorb but ‘It’s a house of tricks, ignore the world’’.

Stay well, be seeing you:-)

[the-sparrow-sings]

TIMELINE FOR MY SPARROW’S HEADCANON

I want to write a LONG fic series about her life going into the Hero of Brightwall’s life; but I do not have the time/energy to commit to that right now, so here’s a vague timeline since I REALLY want to talk about it anyway lol

Pre-Game

• Her parents were infamous Pirates, Rayven(her father, Hero blood), and Catarina

• Reaver knew them as friends before the girls were born; even held Rose once as a baby(somewhat uncomfortably)

• They were forced by foul weather to dock near Bowerstone some time after Sparrow was born; Rayven was captured and hanged, Catarina escaped momentarily with the girls

• Catarina hands baby Sparrow(around 1 year old) to Rose and tells her to RUN, and SURVIVE; she is then captured; but no one is looking for the children so little Rose escapes with Baby Sparrow

Post-Childhood, Pre-Main Game

• Teresa has a hard and fast rule that Sparrow is not to leave the valley, and specifically not to go to Bowerstone. She is concerned that Sparrow will have her parents’ natural desire for adventure and sign onto a crew for a life of piracy

• Upon reaching Adulthood, Sparrow is frustrated by Teresa assuming she still makes the rules for her; and she sneaks off to visit Bowerstone for the first time since her childhood

• She spends the day/night having a gloriously rowdy time with a man she only knows as Captain/The Captain(Spoiler Alert, it’s Reaver) and she fully intends to join his crew

• He has no idea who she is, though he is immediately reminded of his old friends; and unknowingly recounts tails of her parents adventures to her. He is more than a little astonished that someone drew out the urge to discuss something other than himself

• They spend the night together above Bowerstone’s bar; waking up at the crack of dawn to Teresa standing in front of the bed

• She all but drags Sparrow home with her, leaving Reaver both disappointed and a bit relieved; he was not sure he liked that she stirred up something in him

During The Game

• Sparrow is a Rowdy Girl with a love of fine women, dangerous men, and banditry. She loves the rough&tumble bandit lifestyle, but is good hearted enough that she tends to change towns for the better; this is why she loves Bloodstone, it’s a hard town that never changes

• Feels pressured to marry Alex, and feigns happiness for his sake; trying her best to be busy with quests to avoid being near him

• The Spire all but wipes out her formally sweet nature; seeing her adopt a much darker world view; this is where she transitions to pure evil, and becomes much more direct with her wishes and underhanded with her plots

• At first, she flat out refuses to see Alex after The Spire; she doesn’t see the point of it, and figures if he had any good sense he’d have moved on, since she was never in love with him in the first place

• When Alex eventually catches up with her, she attempts to let him down very concisely, but his entitled behavior toward “his wife” ends with a knife in his gut, and a disgusted sneer on Sparrow’s face

• She recognizes Reaver right away, though she has changed too much for him to recognize her. Her heart aches for the innocent young woman she was when she last saw him

• He puts the pieces together of who she is when he first fights by her side; reminded of fighting alongside her Hero father

• The pair share a moment in that cave, seeming to begin something before the collapsing rocks urge them to keep running

End Game/Post Game, Pre Fable 3

• Reaver steals her kill from her, and she is devastated; her sad state only compounded when Hammer reacts harshly to her desire to bring back her own loved ones

• At the end of things, she finds herself alone again, Rose off who-knows-where, her dog her only companion

• Having grown up in exceeding poverty, she spends her time and her gold buying up property left and right, putting former greedy landlords to death

• On a whim she purchases Reaver’s home, keeping it clear of squatters for him

• She finds his first journal entry, and promptly seals them all away in a locked box, not wishing to invade his privacy

• By the time Reaver returns, Sparrow is Queen; and he is more than thrilled when he sees her summons, an elegantly tied scroll left on his bed; concise in her own handwriting, “Captain, I expect a visit when you return, I’m sure you don’t need my address; Sparrow”

• Now, Reaver is both intrigued and mildly frightened

• He enjoys the prospect of having a shag with the queen (and, though he won’t admit it, he has missed more than her body); but he knows she was...a bit cross with him for leaving so suddenly after that business with Lucien was sorted out

• He is concerned that she may kill him/have him put to death, but ultimately decides that the potential rewards far outweigh the risks (with a healthy dose of understanding that it could prove unwise to ignore a direct summons from the Queen)

• On first glance, Queen Sparrow is hardly the girl he remembers from the tavern, or even the shoot-first-talk-later hero who sauntered into Bloodstone a year ago

• Her rise to power coupled with her emotional isolation have left her bitter; a fair yet harsh ruler. She was loved by many for her low rent prices and the protection she offered; but she kept the nobility on a very short leash, and had little patience for those who would waste her time

• That said, she did seem to be focused on keeping up appearances; at least, Reaver could scarcely believe all the exquisite finery and pompous ceremony was her doing

• Had he not been so gifted with perception, Reaver would have failed to pick up on the tiny cracks in her collected facade upon their public meeting

• She declared him her newest advisor, citing his heroic blood, worldly knowledge, and instrumental role in Lucien’s downfall as credentials enough

• When she received him in her private chambers however, the public mask of Royalty slipped away as she all but pounced him

• After a while, Reaver playfully tosses around the idea of them having a true public relationship; and Sparrow turns him down flat; refusing to make a toy of her heart

• Reaver does not quite understand why he feels disappointed; after all, he’s got a position of High Power in Albion now, and he gets to warm the Hero Queen’s bed with very few strings attached...he should be thrilled

• Eventually, Sparrow faces pressure (both domestic and foreign) to marry

• Reaver offers his “services”, talking of what a good king he would make, but Sparrow refuses on the grounds that his former life of piracy did not amuse every foreign power, and making him king could potentially amount to a declaration of war

• She marries some nobody from the aristocracy; the relationship, as well as the king’s power, being little more than an elaborate puppet show

• Reaver absolutely loathes the king; “Sparrow only has room for one pompous, arrogant, bastard in her life; and it sure as hell isn’t this spindly Lordling”

• The marriage certainly complicates Sparrow and Reaver’s cladenstine appointments; and his unexpected negative feelings almost push him to leave Sparrow’s Court

• Until she comes to his quarters one night, looking frantic and desperate; like she had been pacing around and pulling at her hair

• The king has demanded children, and old Albion Royal Law/Tradition demands she comply; Sparrow however, absolutely refuses to birth that man’s weak and “noble” offspring

• She asks Reaver to give her a child in secret; she assures him that he will have absolutely no fatherly obligations; but if she must bare children(which she knew from her vision of the future was inevitable) she wanted them to be strong with the blood of heroes

• Eventually, Reaver accepts, and Sparrow is sure that the child inside her is his

• Reaver does his best to avoid spending time with her, he has spent centuries avoiding these connections for a reason, after all

• But he can’t shake the hate in his heart each time he sees the king look so prideful of his impending heir

• The Baby is born with a thick tuff of black hair, and thankfully, is Sparrow’s spitting image as he grows

• Reaver does his best to avoid Logan, truly stepping in for the first time when the boy comes up missing

• Sparrow puts together the ransom at once, not willing to risk her child’s life with her usual bravado

• At the same time, Reaver uses his underworld connections to easily sniff out the kidnappers; going in secret to collect the boy before Sparrow even has a chance to leave the castle

• Reaver holds his son for the first time as he ends the lives of the scum who took him with a vengeance

• From that point on, Reaver is focused on watching over the boy; if from a distance

• He becomes prone to undermining the king when he is trying to teach some bullshit Strict Lesson to young Logan; cutting the king down with remarks of how Reaver has SEEN tactics like his in action...and they never bode well

• Reaver does not truly admit to himself his fatherly feelings however, until Sparrow accidentally becomes pregnant

• A little girl with beautiful brunette curls, who stares back at him with his own eyes; when he holds her for the first time, she squeezes his finger tight, and he knows he would move the earth for this child

• Princess Ophelia is a happy girl, running around the castle with very few unpleasantries like “rules” or “structure”, thanks to her intimidating “Uncle” Reaver pushing around the king and anyone else who would dare stifle her

• The King however, does not take kindly to Reaver’s increased intrusion on “his” family; becoming obsessively strict with the children each chance he gets

• Reaver doubles down on his mischief, often making a point to whisk the children away to festivals and other fun outings

• He is overcome with pride when little Ophelia proves to be a crack shot at the carnival’s various shooting games

• Once, a tiny Ophelia ran to him crying because she wished Reaver was her father instead of the king

• Sparrow has to intervene more than once when Reaver decides he wants to outright murder the king

• The king tries to put his foot down with Sparrow; demanding that Reaver be removed from Court and sent away

• Sparrow laughs at him, before recounting the tail of her first husband; and reminds him of the very strict limits to his own power

The Death of Sparrow

• Some time after Logan reaches his teenage years, the Queen is mysteriously assailed by a sudden and dire illness

• In my personal timeline-The Sickness is actually a curse laid on her by Teresa for refusing to follow her directive any longer; but this isn’t revealed until my Post-Fable 3 Plotline

• Reaver sits by Sparrow’s bed as she lay dying- truly and wholly distraught for the first time in centuries

• She grips his hand suddenly, with all the feeble strength she can muster, and the look in her eye tells him that the time he has dreaded is upon them

• She begs-orders him to watch over their children

• He pulls her into his arms. “Sparrow, I need you to know, I love-”

• “No,” she hisses, faint as a breath. “You don’t.”

• He is devastated by her final words. For the first time in perhaps centuries, he has decided to open his heart and admit those words...and she didn’t believe him...and now it’s too late to prove it

• He spends much of his time in the days following her death obscenely intoxicated-more than usual, trying to wipe away the regret he feels for not making her feel loved while she was alive

• Reaver comes to her balcony often, to look out over Albion in the cool night air-and consider hopefully-perhaps foolishly- that the wind ghosting his hair against his cheek is more than just an act of nature

• One night, he arrives to find the king standing in his usual spot; and perhaps it is his own melancholy that moves him-but he actually believes the king has come to mourn

• Until he speaks to him of course. The king is only in the room to decide how he wishes to redecorate it for when he takes a new wife to be queen

• Reaver is enraged by how casually the king speaks; how quickly he thinks to replace Sparrow. His mind fills with the image of some power hungry political climber marrying this idiot for the crown

• Reaver was no stranger to political intrigue. How often did new royals arrange for the tragic deaths of their stepchildren, so that their own children might have a better chance of inheriting the crown? Reaver could not take that chance

• One bullet, ringing off into the night, was all it took to send the King’s corpse crumpling unceremoniously to the ground

• Eventually, Reaver is captured, and Walter(as chief among Sparrow’s advisors) personally orders(and intends to carry out) his execution; however he is stopped by the arrival of the young-now king-Logan

• Ignoring everyone, Logan crouches down to where the guards have forced Reaver to kneel, and simply tells Reaver that he knows, before ordering everyone to leave them in private

• As it turns out, Logan had taken the task of sorting through his late-mother’s things when he stumbled upon Reaver’s journals-and an entry that makes note of his feelings for her

• Following that discovery, Logan had done diligent research and digging; and had come to the conclusion that he and his sister were almost definitely the result of Reaver’s long term affair with their mother

• He demands Reaver tell him everything, and surprisingly, Reaver does. He comes clean about it all-everything from the Court of Shadows to Sparrow’s dying wish

• This is why Logan trusts Reaver to remain his advisor

• The secret of their parontage is kept from Ophelia however. After all, it was a secret for a reason, and she was so young at the time that she could hardly be counted on to protect such a secret; she doesn’t learn Reaver is her father until breaking into his home in search of information

• No longer in danger of execution, Reaver feels he has no choice but to down a bottle or two of fine wine, and write to his former companions of Sparrow’s death

• He keeps it very short. He wasn’t their friend-he wasn’t even on good terms with them

• “She’s Gone; R.” Is all the letters say, and they think him callous and uncaring for it; but they cannot see the waste bin of crumpled papers where his writing had been shaky in his grief or the tears stained the pages

OKAY THAT’S WHERE I AM GOING TO STOP BECAUSE BEYOND THAT WE START REACHING INTO FABLE 3 TERRIROTY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR READING THIS

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Sarah Fuller & Jurgen Klopp

Weekly Hit & Miss

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – SARAH FULLER

Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play in a Power 5 match – the highest level of collegiate American football – as a placekicker for Vanderbilt Commodores against Missouri Tigers.

Several women have appeared at lower levels of college football, but 21-year-old Fuller made history and took the opportunity to use her platform to encourage other females in sport.

“I just want to tell all the girls out there that you can do anything you set your mind to,” she said after the match.

Fuller wore a helmet with the slogan Play Like A Girl on the back, a non-profit organisation that encourages girls to play sport.

Despite her team losing the match 41-0, Fuller’s actions are likely to inspire young girls to believe that they can follow in her footsteps and compete on an even keel with their male counterparts.

A day after Fuller’s appearance, there was another encouraging storyline to come out of American football as Callie Brownson made history when she became the first woman to serve as a positional coach in an NFL regular season game.

The Cleveland Browns chief of staff filled in for Drew Petzing as coach of the side’s tight ends and helped them to a 27-25 win against Jacksonville Jaguars, with tight end Austin Hooper scoring one of the team’s two receiving touchdowns.

It’s vital that women are given opportunities to showcase their skills and both Fuller and Brownson have become role models for underlining that hard work should pay off regardless of gender.

There is still a long way to go, but this is another step on the road to creating equal opportunities for athletes and staff alike in elite sport.

MISS – JURGEN KLOPP

Jurgen Klopp had plenty to be unhappy about this weekend as Brighton & Hove Albion snatched a late late draw from the penalty spot.

Twice VAR ruled Liverpool goals out by the finest of margins and the evergreen James Milner left the field with an injury as the intensity of the fixtures schedule took its toll.

Understandably frustrated, Klopp accused BT Sport reporter Des Kelly and other broadcasters of putting the health and fitness of players at risk.

“I don't know how often I have to say it. You picked the 12:30 kick-off, you. Not you personally but you did it, didn’t you?” said Klopp.

“After Wednesday, Saturday at 12:30 is really dangerous for the players. Until this year is over in this part of the season we had this slot three times. Look who else had this slot three times? No-one.”

Kelly stood his ground and explained to Klopp that the broadcasters did not decide the scheduling.

Kelly responded: “Maybe you're firing at the wrong target. We are broadcasters, we work within Premier League rules, and Premier League makes the rules, that's the Premier League clubs, so shouldn't you be talking to Premier League clubs? Shouldn't you be talking to chief executives.

“When you say 'you picked the 12.30', the Premier League clubs chose that slot. There's a reason that slot is there, because it's valuable to the Premier League. Of course it's difficult, the stadiums are empty and the broadcasters are supporting the game.

“Your chief executives and other chief executives should be having that discussion. If you come down here and just have a go at the broadcaster, it doesn't go anywhere, it's not going to change anything.”

Klopp also used his post-match interviews to complain about the need for Premier League teams to be permitted to make five substitutions – as is the case in the Football League and other countries and took aim at Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder.

“Ask Chris Wilder how we can avoid that [injuries],” Klopp lamented.

“We had a talk between managers, a week ago now, I think, it was 15-5 if not 16-4 for five subs.

“Chris Wilder says constantly that I'm selfish. I think the things he's said shows that he's selfish. I was in a similar position at Mainz, all about staying in the league.

"Today, if we had five subs, I take off Andy Robertson and bring on Konstantinos Tsimikas. To save Robbo. Not to make our game better, just to save him. It's not about changing tactics and systems, it's just to save the players.”

For such a superb communicator, Klopp taking aim at broadcasters and rival managers was a rare mis-step prompted by understandable on-field frustration. 

It’s great for broadcasters, who get managers and players at their most emotional, and Klopp is usually charm personified.

While it’s vital to use his platform to get his points across, he could have been just as compelling without being confrontational and picking fights with the wrong people.

[torentialtribute]

Burnley news: Jay Rodriguez confident of success at Turf Moor

& # 39; There is sometimes no limit that we can do & # 39 ;: Jay Rodriguez relies on Burnley's success as he prepares for the second spell at Turf Moor

Jay Rodriguez claims that Burnley is perfectly set up for new Premier League season

Striker returns to action in a Clarets shirt for the first time in seven years

Burnley hoping that she can match Season 2018 where she is seventh

posted by Elanor Crooks, Press Association

Published: 17:56 BST, August 9, 2019 | Updated: 17:56 BST, August 9, 2019

Jay Rodriguez sees no reason why Burnley does not want their repeat can repeat heroism from two seasons ago while he prepares for his second spell with his hometown club.

A year after he had not kept him away from West Brom Sean Dyche got his husband this summer, with Rodriguez returning to the Clarets seven years after leaving for Southampton

After finishing a great seventh in the Premier League in 2017-18, qualifying for the Europa League, Burnley made a bad start to last season and fought a relegation fight for the most part of the campaign before finally dragging himself to the 15th.

Jay Rodriguez returned to Burnley from West Bromwich Albion

Rodriguez said: & Of course it is different seasons but what I have seen and been part of this preseason, the quality and the hard work that the boys have done, everything is perfectly set up and I think sometimes no limit is on what we can do. I'm just very excited to be part of it. & # 39;

Rodriguez was one of four summer signings made by Dyche, with full-back Erik Pieters and young goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell arriving on permanent deals while Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater was a deadline-day recruitment on loan until January.

Dyche has made no secret of how difficult he finds it to bring players in with the budget he has received, but Burnley's recent success has enabled them to extensively upgrade their training facilities.

Rodriguez said: & # 39; It has totally changed. I think our dressing room is probably the same size as the entire building that we used to be turned into.

The side of Sean Dyche reached the Europa League in 2018 after finishing the seventh

& # 39; The facilities here are top quality and I think you have to come in every day, you have the feeling that you can do everything you want to improve as a player and recover as well as possible. & # 39;

Rodriguez had little choice but to keep in touch with how Burnley continued after his departure, with so many relatives and friends who supported the club.

He admitted that putting on the shirt again in the preseason was surreal, but will not take too much time to enjoy the atmosphere during the Premier League opener of the Clarets against his former club Southampton on Saturday .

The 30-year-old said: & # 39; Coming back here is a real buzz for myself and my family.

& # 39; It will be a special, first game of the season at Turf Moor, but you put your professional head on and it's just business and everything you can do to influence the game and help the team is the main focus. & # 39;

Rodriguez faces a battle with Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes for the striking spots, but seems the most likely of the new recruits to start.

Rodriguez started his career at Burnley where he was seen for five years before he left in 2012

Ben Mee takes over the lead from the departed Tom Heaton while Nick Pope has received the number one shirt from Heaton, while Joe Hart remains at number 20.

Dyche was slightly more cautious than Rodriguez about Burnley's outlook, but hopes they can build on their finish until last season.

He said: & # 39; The Premier League is an unforgivable place if things are not going well, but I was very satisfied with the second half of the season. I hope the players have learned from that.

& # 39; I think the additions help with that competitive advantage. I have always believed that we have quality here. We think we have brought quality. Erik has run wild and has J-Rod. & # 39;

Burnley will be without Robbie Brady and Steven Defour, who both spent most of the last season injured.

Winger Brady must return shortly after undergoing a hairline fracture of a rib during the last game before the season, but the absence of Defour will last for months as he continues to recover from calf surgery in March.

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[crystalracing]

We sit in a park near Kings Cross, next to a church and a graveyard, and Marvin Sordell takes a deep breath. He feels ready, but this is not easy. Sordell is a former Premier League footballer, who now plays for Burton Albion in League One, and he is a writer. This dual identity shapes him. Professional football has scarred Sordell; and the secret world of writing has helped him.

A sunlit September afternoon leaves dappled little shadows around our feet as his words flow. Everything else falls away beneath this gripping, distressing and ultimately uplifting story. Sordell suffered from depression for years, even when being bought and sold for millions of pounds, playing for England Under-21s and representing GB at the London Olympics, and he endured misconceptions and racism. At his lowest he attempted suicide; but he has found a way to live again.

The 27-year-old has been hurt by the harsh business of football but he still loves the game. He also loves to write, both poetry and prose, and has completed his first book, Vulnerable Exposure, which he has yet to submit to a publisher. He begins by talking about his poem, Denis Prose, an anagram for depression.

“That was one of my first poems,” he says. “I wanted to make depression real so people can understand how you are fighting for control over yourself. Depression consumes you and sometimes you submit to it. Lots of emotions snowballed and became one big thing inside me. It felt like I was overtaken by another entity. It was then that I wrote Denis Prose.

“The poem follows my journey from the training ground to my home. I wanted to personify the emotion while the car represents my body. Inside the car we have myself and a passenger, Denis Prose, representing two sides of my consciousness. The journey starts on as a sunny day but it becomes dark and rainy. There is a shift in emotion and a struggle for power. Denis Prose takes charge. The poem ends in suicide because depression is so powerful it tells you: ‘This is the way out. I’ll take control and everything will be over.’”

Sordell spoke to people at one of his former clubs about his tangled emotions. “I said I’m missing my friends and family. But I told them I still wanted to be there because playing football was all I wanted to do. The moment you go onto the pitch the depression disappears. But the problems were getting worse because I wasn’t being picked. I had no release.”

The striker stresses that every manager should select the players he believes are best equipped to help his team win. But he makes a telling point about how clubs fail to help players who feel jettisoned. “That led me to me being more downtrodden, more disappointed. I’ve always been hard on myself and I’m not generally confident. As I’ve grown older I’ve got better – but when I was younger, without a support network, it felt cold and lonely. I felt stuck.”

Sordell pauses before speaking even more openly. “I have to say this because it’s important. Without naming names, at one of my clubs I was also seeing a doctor. She recommended I go to the Priory to recover properly. I said, ‘I don’t think you realise what I do for a living. It’s not possible to leave a football club for a few weeks. They paid good money to sign me. They pay me good money, so I can’t just go. But I’ll ask them.’

“I didn’t end up doing so. I wasn’t sure how they would react to me needing to go to the Priory and then, not long after, my mum phoned. She said someone from the club had called. They told her I was thinking of going to the Priory but the message was clear. ‘You can’t do that. You must focus on football.’ I don’t know how they knew. I was shocked.

“I was learning to play the piano and cook creatively. I was spending my free time being expressive. I would post interesting images on Instagram. It seemed better than going to bars every day. And he said to my mum I must stop playing the piano, stop cooking and focus on football. I thought: ‘Playing the piano is productive. I have to cook to eat. How can this be bad for my football?’ But that was their mentality towards me. People saw an attitude problem because I didn’t banter with the players and coaches. When I got home I often sat in the dark.

“It’s difficult in this industry to be honest without it coming back to bite you. Once I was told I was going on loan regardless of what I wanted. I was told to take a pay cut, and if I stayed the circumstances would be a lot worse than if I left. I didn’t speak to the manager – he spoke to my agent. I tried to see the positives because it’s a fresh start, an opportunity to play football.”

Sordell’s depression became so acute he tried to kill himself in August 2013. “On one occasion,” he says softly, “I tried to overdose on tablets. I took all these tablets and went to sleep. It didn’t work, thankfully. When I woke up I was shocked, annoyed. Some people would say, in that situation, they feel born again. I just thought: ‘What now?’

“I was so drained. People think I should be fine. I’d played at the Olympicsand the European Under-21 Championship. Played in the Premier League. On good money. But it didn’t feel like that. I went to training the day after. I didn’t tell anyone. The first time anybody really understood was when I sent my book to my friends, my mum, my sister and my wife. The only person who knew I was struggling was my wife. But when she read the book she said: ‘I didn’t know it was that bad.’

“Until I started writing I struggled to express my emotions. So my wife said: ‘That’s enough. You need to see this [psychiatrist].’ I went to see her and broke down. Even I didn’t understand it until then. I’d thought: ‘I’m just annoyed because I’m not playing. It’s nothing.’ But it felt like layers and layers were coming away until I was left with a real open version of myself.”

Medication had helped initially because, as Sordell says, “I was at breaking point. But I reached a stage where I stopped taking it. I felt so numb on medication.”

Writing became a different form of medicine for Sordell. “I felt dead inside for a long time – and writing gave me a way to get emotions out. I have no idea where I would’ve gone, where I would’ve spiralled to, if not for writing. I probably wouldn’t be playing football. I’d heard too many people saying, ‘He’s too difficult or miserable.’ It’s different now. Finishing the book became a way to own my story. It felt liberating.

“I said to my friend: ‘I don’t know how people are going to take it, a footballer writing poetry. It’s weird.’ He said: ‘You’ll never know until you find out.’ So on [2017’s] World Mental Health day I tweeted the Denis Prose poem and people opened up to me. I was taken aback but people identified with it. They were also struggling. It felt so powerful.”

Sordell has also overcome the racism he experienced for Bolton against Millwall in October 2012 and later that same month while representing England Under-21s against Serbia in Belgrade. “Everyone knows what Millwall was like so I was shocked to discover I was the first person to report racism at Millwall. Most footballers know about that section at Millwall. If you are on the bench and warming up, you’re getting abuse – whether you are black or white. The club have moved that section now. I played there again at the end of last season and I scored. They boo me, they call me names and I just smile.”

He describes the notorious match in Belgrade as “surreal. I remember hearing this noise and thinking: ‘What on earth is that?’ I passed the ball and it went out for a throw-in. Danny Rose took it and the whole stadium was making monkey chants. I thought something would happen because it was on live TV. But two of our players, Steven Caulker and Tom Ince, got banned for a game for being sent off while the Serbian FA was fined a pittance. Nothing was done.”

Sordell shrugs. He remembers “my first experience of playing football was in a Sunday league team. I was very young and and the manager said to my mum: ‘We’re not picking your son because he’s shit.’ That’s brutal. The manager’s son was the goalkeeper, and I was playing in goal. Maybe that had something to do with it. I ended up in the B team. We got to the final of the tournament and the A team got knocked out. But I was upset. My uncle took me to the aquarium to cheer me up.

“Football’s as ruthless now as it was then. The rewards are high, but so are the risks. A lot of people may not understand because they see the money top players make. But it’s harsh and every move is a risk. I found it difficult when I was younger because you can’t easily be yourself in football. We have no freedom of identity. I’ve always been Marvin Sordell, the footballer. Your whole life is contained and dictated by football. It’s not healthy.”

Sordell seems mentally healthy today and, as he says, “I’m writing a presentation to take to the FA and PFA. It’s about mental health in football. Thirty years ago when someone had a physical injury they were often told to man up. Now they say: ‘If anything’s wrong with you, go to the physio. No risks.’ But with mental health it’s still a case of ‘Man up’ most of the time. Eventually, we’ll change that attitude.”

Does Sordell still struggle with depression? “There are moments that trigger it. But I understand how to manage it emotionally. I write about how I feel. Sometimes it’s just two lines or sometimes it’s a long rant. It helps. And I’m getting better talking about it. So I’m getting there. I’m also definitely enjoying football. I’ve played 200 games as a pro and I never thought I’d play one. So everything is positive.”

Sordell takes out his laptop and shows me the short film he and his friend, Maxwell Harris-Tharp have made about the haunting presence of Denis Prose. His voice, reading his poem, resounds as we watch the hooded figures of himself and a friend on the screen. Sordell looks at the park’s adjoining graveyard and smiles at the strangeness of our ending up here by chance. I ask to see the film again.

We watch the ghosts of his past retreat still further. Afterwards, I ask Sordell about his hopes for the future. “The biggest thing for me now would be to speak to someone about my book. I’d like to get to that point where, rather than just being ‘Marvin Sordell, Footballer’, you see ‘Marvin Sordell, Writer.’ That would be beyond any accolades. It would mean I’ve gained a real freedom of identity. I’m a footballer when I play football – but I’m also a writer. I’m a person with more than one identity. When you put them together you have the real me.”

[torentialtribute]

Steve Clarke is performing miracles at Kilmarnock and could be set to become Scotland boss

He has a budget of £ 1.7 million and a team consisting of loan players.

No wonder Steve Clarke is a sought-after man: sought by the Scottish FA to become the next national team manager and sought by border clubs impressed by his season.

So when Kilmarnock Rangers play in their last league game of the season on Sunday, the players know that it may also be Clarke's last. Several clubs have noted that Clarke is rolling a one-year contract, so any compensation will not be huge.

<img id = "i-8decd13efd423fb1" src = "https://dailym.ai/2J2OwKp /17/20/13629614-7042127-Steve_Clarke_has_put_together_a_super_season_in_Ayrshire_to_put_-a-1_1558123187084.jpg "height =" 519 "width =" 634 "alt =" Steve Clarke has put together a super season in Ayrshire with a supreme season in Kilmarnock third in Ayrshire to put Kilmarnock third in the competition "

Steve Clarke has put together a super season in Ayrshire to put Kilmarnock third in the competition

The no-nonsense manager attracts a lot of interest for the national team in Scotland The no-nonsense manager attracts a lot of interest. "<img id =" i-e5c727d624a19c9c "src =" https://dailym.ai/2W7xxNX "height 496 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-e5c727d624a19c9c" src = "https://dailym.ai/2LP0pGL a-2_1558123187113.jpg "height =" 496 "width =" 634 "alt =" The no-nonsense manager is attracting a great deal of interest in the national team in Scotland for the national team in Scotland

That applies also for the SFA, who are looking for a successor to Alex McL

Clarke, 55, is a much sought after man, because when he arrived at the same time, club were 23 miles south of Glasgow, Kilmarnock on the but without the wealth of Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts of Hibernian, Clarke has revived the club.

In October 2017, I a team apparently without hope. Under his leadership and with the smallest budgets, Kilmarnock finished fifth. This season has proved that it was not a one-off.

Clarke arrived in Kilmarnock on hope and he has revived the club Kilmarnock down on hope and he has revived the club "

Clarke arrived in Kilmarnock on hope and has given the club a new lease of life

<img id = "i-7b6a670908289fe8" src = "https : //i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/05/17/20/13629520-7042127-His_performances_have_not_gone_unnoticed_as_he_won_Manager_of_th-a-4_1558123187131.jpg "height =" 387 "width =" 634 "alt =" His versions are not went unnoticed, he won Manager of the competition season "

His performances did not go unnoticed because he was" season = "blkBorder img-share" competition he won the title Manager of the Season

& # 39; Yes, I am proud of what we have b acknowledges & # 39 ;, he says Sportsmail . & # 39; People underestimate my management career. & # 39;

Perhaps he is right because he led West Bromwich Albion to eighth place in the Premier League in 2013 before he was fired and then led Reading to a semi-final in the FA Cup.

I think I did well.

He certainly learned from the best, coaching among the late Sir Bobby Robson, Jose Mourinho,

& I was like a sponge & # 39 ;, says Clarke sitting in the room and reflects the glories of the past – the Champions & Lounge in Rugby Park

& # 39; But what did I do this season? Well, it's really the players who did it. I have only given guidance and organization. A way to play. They did the rest. & # 39; But Clarke collected them – and with a little bit. & # 39; I knew what it would be like if I got the job, so I have no complaints.

In Newcastle United, Clarke learned under Ruud Gullitt "class =" blkBorder img -share "(19459009)

The Scot has a lot of experience to lean on to coach under Sir Bobby Robson (right)" class = "blkBorder img

(19459007)

was also from

vital for helping Clarke & # 39; s skills "

<img id =" i-e4e4a3f69b64be31 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2Ed51QG /20/13634434-7042127-Spending_time_under_Jose_Mourinho_at_Chelsea_was_also_vital_to_a-a-7_1558123187139.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Spending time under Jose Mourinho in Chelsea was also vital to help Clar]

Spending time under Jose Mourinho in Chelsea was also vital to supporting Clarke & # 39; s skill – My budget is around £ 1.7 million for the entire team. My best credit when I came was around £ 1,500 a week. Celtic? Their budget should be £ 20 million. Rangers? About 14. Hearts and Hibernian four to five. So there is a significant financial imbalance. But on the field, no imbalance. It's about getting players on the pitch and being motivated. "

So how does Clarke bridge that financial gap? & # 39; Contacts & # 39 ;, he says. Loan players are essential to us, as are free transfers. I often get guidance from people I play in the game I have made sure that our own players are all registered.

& # 39; There is a tendency for clubs of our size to have huge sales in the late season – like 10 and 10. In. It's not the way to do it.

Some may point to the controversial artificial surface of Kilmarnock as a contributor to their beautiful season. Not Clarke.

& # 39; There were never any complaints when teams came here and left with three points & # 39 ;, he says. & # 39; That doesn't happen that often now. Funny that. & # 39;

plastic pitches was the least of the controversies in Scottish football this season, not least the barrage of sectarian abuse directed against Clarke during a match against Rangers who are & # 39; back to the comments of the dark ages about intolerance.

<img id = "i-960235a "src =" https://dailym.ai/2LOKyIh "height =" 473 "width =" 634 "alt = "With a budget of only £ 1.7 million, Clarke is a master in the market to add by his side"

With a budget of only £ 1.7 million, Clarke is a master from the loan market to add by his side.

<img id = "i-341475cdca2a1d0a" src = "https://dailym.ai/2W9MizK -9_1558123187145.jpg "height =" 466 "width =" 634 "alt =" Some Kilmarnock critics have mentioned the artificial grass field in Rugby Park as the reason

<img id = "i-341475cdca2a1d0a" src = "https: // i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/05/17/20/13629606-7042127-Some_Kilmarnock_critics_have_cited_the_artificial_pitch_at_Rugby-a-9_1558123187145.jpg "height =" 466 "width =" 634 "alt =" Some Kilmarnock critics have the artificial cited in Rugby Park as the reason for success "[nodig citaat]

" I felt strongly and felt I had said it, "says Clarke And you know what? When I went back there was nothing personal against me. No word. So maybe it worked. And the manager Steven Gerrard and the chairman Dave King spoke about it. t clear effect.

& # 39; But intolerance was there 30 years ago and it is now. It will never go until people talk about it. More and more people are doing that and that is a good thing. Hopefully people will realize that it is not the right thing to do. Some people still think they can go to a soccer field and say what they want. It is crazy.

& # 39; Sectarianism could easily be ended. How? By speaking to the club with their own supporters and making it clear this is not acceptable. And I think the majority would agree.

& It is similar to racism in football – people say things they would not say in the general public and the reactions come from people who have black players in the team they support.

& # 39; Yes, we have had a few problems in Scotland, but I don't think it's worse than anywhere else.

& # 39; Sometimes there has been racism, but so has happened in England. What we have done is emphasized and action taken. We are an honest couple, our Jocks.

The former West Brom and Reading boss was openly opposed to sectarian abuse

The former boss of West Brom and Reading was openly opposed to sectarian violence

Ann Budge, for example, all credit to Harteigenaar Ann Budge. There was a section at Tynecastle where troublemakers gathered. Security in numbers. But she closed the section. Fantastic.

& # 39; As for intolerance, well, that should not be part of the photo. After a while I notice that it will change. The clubs such as Celtic and Rangers do everything they can. & # 39;

By becoming a manager, Clarke, who played a distinguished career with St Mirren and Chelsea, has built a strong family bond with the club.

His brother Paul joined the club's Hall of Honor last October after 436 games for the club as the central defender.

Now Clarke has given a lift to the city that was once the & # 39; toughest & # 39; in Scotland was named & # 39; and was the subject of a controversial documentary about a sinking estate.

& # 39; This city has been overthrown from pillar to post in terms of wealth – and that documentary was a disgrace. And I mean shame, & Clarke says. & # 39; This is a good city with good people. & # 39;

But will he stay in it? After all, his parental home is still in the Home Counties.

& # 39; When Pochettino was associated with Man United, he said: & # 39; In football you never know what will happen. & # 39; Speaking to Sportsmail's Steve Stammers, Clarke believes that fanaticism in the game is still around "

<img id =" i-27d9ae461d26fe0c "src =" https: // i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/05/17/20/13629566-7042127-Speaking_to_Sportsmail_s_Steve_Stammers_Clarke_believes_bigotry_-a-11_1558123187157.jpg "height =" 461 "width =" 634 "alt =" Speaking to Steven Stammers of Sportsmail, Clarke believes that fanaticism in the game is still around "in the game there is still

& # 39; We have talent here, we have talent here, & he says. & # 39; Andy Robertson, James Forrest, Callum McGregor, Ryan Jack, Ryan Fraser, Scott McTominay. And Scotland is guaranteed a play-off place for the European Championship after winning their mini-group. "

He would just be the man. However, he will first have to forgive the SFA for that unconditional ban.

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