It had potentially been on the cards for a few weeks but I thought I'd blown my chance to be honest.
Made it to no. 2 on 12th June, won my official league title in the penultimate round with a 1-1 away draw on the 19th - that wasn't enough to tip me over. Then won the Cup a few days later on the 22nd - was sure that'd be enough to do it, but no. Day after that won my XCL quarter final 2nd leg on penalties away from home, and again, not enough. Started to think it wasn't happening... thought I had one last chance with my last league round on 26th June, away to the team I'd just pipped to the title, and beat them 2-1, and that STILL wasn't good enough!!!
I was then into silly season and down from three games per week to one - just my two remaining XCL semi final legs. With no league games for a while in between seasons, and sure to get a bye in the first round of the Cup, all my hopes were on my XCL semis. Drew the first leg 0-0 at home, which wasn't a bad result considering the change report came in the day before and destroyed my form - but not sure it earned me many managerial rank points! Convinced then I was destined to never hit no.1 I went with what I thought could be "winning" tactics for the return away leg (but not necessarily good for rank points - i.e. quite vanilla set up designed to not get caught out by my opponent and play to our slight strength advantage). Turned out I was wrong on both counts - we lost 2-1, my opponent didn't take many risks either (so I could have been more adventurous with my selections, which ironically probably would have drawn me the game and advanced to the final on away goals rule!).
Anyway, that all happened in the middle of the ENG v DEN game, I watched my X11 match at half-time already full of beer and riding the euphoria of having just seen the Kjær own goal get us back in the match. But my X11 game went all wrong, we were 2-0 down after 54 minutes... and I turned the game player off and clicked straight to the result. We'd pulled one back in the 69th minute, but it wasn't enough. I looked at the tactics and could see instantly if I'd played more shrewdly and taken a few more tactical risks (picked a playmaker, and gone wing plays attack rather than varied - which originally I had selected, only to change earlier in the day) I may well have kept it 1-1 or got 2-2 and an away goals win and spot in the final).
Slightly deflated but still WAY more focused on the ENG v DEN match, I forgot about X11 for the night, hammered back even more beer (not bragging but I somehow got through an entire crate of 12 Buds between 7pm and 11pm, something I didn't think was possible these days anymore at 39, lol, not without passing out early anyway). And then came the elation of the late Harry Kane goal and England reaching their first ever Euros final. I then did of course pass out once the adrenaline wore off, around midnight, having not bothered to log back into X11 after the game. I woke up completely dehydrated, needing a pee, and less drunk, sometime around 3-4am...unable to get back to sleep I logged into X11 and congratulated my XCL opponent on reaching the final. But somehow MISSED the ranking update! Managed to nod off again half an hour later once I'd re-hydrated a little.
Then I wake up a few hours later around 7am, stinking headache from all the beer but still elated at the England win. Checked X11 and only then noticed my leap from no.2 to no.1. How the most gutting loss in X11 since I lost my previous XCL semi back in 2012 was enough to finally eek out the last few rank points to do that, I have no idea.
So while I'm still a bit annoyed at myself for changing my tactics the day of the game, missing out on the final and a potential shot at the Hall of Fame... how could I be unhappy after the night of extreme drama and joy with England, and then discovering I'd somehow fluked my way to no.1 with a loss?! Well I wasn't, the hangover was gone after an hour or two of waking and, I kid you not, I had enough energy and zip in me to put up our new garden fence which had been delivered on Monday. Frigging heavy and hard work getting the concrete base panels/gravel boards in place (and ripping the old rotted panels out), but I felt pretty chuffed after all that.
But for some reason I'm again awake at 4am the day after, on X11, typing this up, instead of getting much needed (and I think, deserved) sleep. At least I kept the booze to a minimum this time so don't feel quite so bad!
I wonder what Sunday night has in store for England... and how much beer I'll get through this time. At least I don't have any important X11 games to add to the mix, and can fully concentrate on our battle with Italy. C'mon lads, get it done!
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