Player Manager: A Sports Progression Fantasy

Player Manager, Book 1

By: Ted Steel

Narrated by: 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.

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.

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!

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.

When did Football get this much fun?

I was a bit sceptical, since I've not been much of a football fan since the turning of the millennium, but holy heck did I have a blast.
Everything I didn't already understand was explained, and football is simply the medium of carrying the story, not the focus, that's the managing part and holy heck, I might need to go pick up a football manager game after this...
So much fun

A great story

I read this story earlier this year and the audiobook is even better than the written version! I had a fantastic time listening to how this story unfolds and I can’t wait to get into the next one. Max Best curses, cajoles and charms his way into the world of Footie. Highly recommended and I don’t want to spoil a single minute.

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!

Binged in three days.

I have been a big fan of litrpg and progression fantasy for about three years. Having listened to over 150 titles. I always thought these genres would work well with sports. This book blew me away. Explains terminology and details but maintain great pacing. Humor and wit had me laughing out loud multiple times. Highly recommend to any fan of the genre. Can’t wait for the next one.