Player Manager: A Sports Progression Fantasy

Player Manager, Book 1

De: Ted Steel

Narrado por: Luke Francis

Could a seemingly average Premier League fan oversee a football club better than a top manager? Max is starting to think so . . .

Max Best is not living his—ahem—best life. His job's a drag, his home's a shooting gallery, his hopes are nil, and lately, even his beloved game of football has devolved from a chaotic, ecstatic delight into a cold, calculating equation complete with stats, tech terms, and mindless lingo. But then Max rescues a mysterious old man from a mugging. "Nick" seems friendly enough . . . until he innocently asks his savior, "Would you sell your soul to be a top football manager?"

Naturally, Max says yes, and in that instant, everything changes. Suddenly, whenever he watches a footie match, the skills and attributes of every player are visible to him within an eyes-only display. While he's terrified at first, he quickly learns to appreciate his abilities—even embracing them to gain his own level-ups and experience. And he's going to need them.

Because his otherworldly talent is about to have a massive effect on his real-world existence, catapulting him from small local matches to the insanity of top-tier football. But the more he succeeds, the more he's torn between the simple, happy fanatic he once was and the master of the pitch he's becoming. Soon Max will have to ask himself: Is football really a matter of life or death? Or is there something more important worth fighting for?

The first volume of the hit progression-fantasy series—with more than 700,000 views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

©2023 Ted Steel (P)2023 Podium Audio

this is what good looks like

this has quickly become one of my favorite series. it's unique in its setting and systems, very well written, but the key is Ted gets us to care about the characters.

Just try it

I almost never write reviews, and I really am not the type of person to give a perfect score to anything, ever. but this book is just so unbelievably good.

I have never cared about sports of any kind, I don't know the rules, my local teams, who plays in what tournaments, or who any of the big names are. I just don't care, and this book hasn't changed that, but it has made really understand the mindset of someone who does care. The author so clearly has a deep intense passion for the sport, and not only that, I'm certain they'd make an excellent teacher or coach or whatever the role is called themselves. I came in to this knowing literally 2 things about soccer: don't touch the ball with your hands, and get it in the other teams goal. I'm not exaggerating, that's it. And despite that massive deficit of all but the very very most basic knowledge, and the fact that this book gets way down into the weeds and little bits of minutia about and surrounding the sport, I was never once even a little bit lost. I swear, if you're having trouble writing a coherent smooth action scene, read this book. It doesn't have any swords or fireballs, but it is astonishing how easy it is to follow, while still feeling highly technical and advanced.

Luke Francis, while I wouldn't care to listen to him read many other books, is the perfect casting for this role. Truly a match made in heaven if ever there was one.

Truly amazing

First off, I’m not a soccer fan. I’m such a non soccer fan that I am going to keep calling it soccer. Having said that, absolutely love this book. If you like LitRPG, then this book is like a palette cleanser. It washes away the bad taste of all the redundant isekai stories about some guy who suddenly is a prince in a run down town.

The level of detail in this story is addictive. The author paints a picture of football that sucks you in. On top of all that, it’s clever and funny and passionate. It’s just good quality writing.

This book made me love soccer!?

I have never been a soccer fan, I’ve always been an American football fan. But this book made English soccer seem like the greatest sport in the world! I am now fascinated by the sport, and I am following it through the Internet. The book is well written, the characters are all great, and the story is just engrossing. Well done!

Unique litrpg? Whatever this is called

Love this series the story is way better than you expect. The progression is some of the top in genre albeit unconventional. Top notch job as others have said I don’t even like soccer but love this series. Oh and the narration is outrageous. I’ve written all 5 reviews in my 400 books.

Scratched an inch I didn't know I had

If you like Football Manager and Litrpg books this is for you. Can't wait for more. Luke Francis does a great job narrating this one.

Skeptical at first, but loved it

I never thought I could be entertained so much. Brilliant and I would recommend anyone to try it out. I laughed out a few times, no need to understand football, but definitely helps.

Unexpectedly Brilliant

I bought this book on a whim, because it was on sale and I thought it might be entertaining. It was much better than that.

I'm not a huge soccer fan, though I do follow sports, but this book made the game much more entertaining on the page than it is in person. The character writing is exceptional, presenting a protagonist who is definitely not a perfect person, but who has heart and compassion and whom you really want to succeed. And the plot, being a progression fantasy, is inherently a bit silly, but it's handled very well throughout, with excellent pacing, good suspense, and moments of strong emotion.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone with even the vaguest interest in sports; it's one of the best books I've read this year.

Great stuff!

I have only ever really engaged with football through videogames, but i know how awesome some of the stories are. Given that, i decided to give this book a chance on a whim. And i'll say that i was not dissapointed. If you also are like me and don't really care that much for the sport this book really can make you care for it through the eyes of the main character. The narration is top notch, the storytelling is good and while i find the main character annoying at times there are plenty of other characters who push back against him and make him take his lumps and learn not only to be a better footballer (scout/manager/everything) but also a better person. I highly reccomend!

Fun and engaging

I really enjoyed the story and the narrator. Easy to follow and surprisingly compelling, looking forward to the next book