Player Manager: A Sports Progression Fantasy

Player Manager, Book 1

By: Ted Steel

Narrated by: Luke Francis

Length: 18 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hooked

Listened at 1.2 speed
Narrator is perfect for the book.
This is a unique take on litrpg and I love it! Try it out and you won’t be disappointed!