Mary

Mary Thatcher, working for Leicester Mercury, was sitting among the reporters. She had already been informed who Michael Edwards was. He worked as an analyst at Portsmouth before today. She couldn't quite figure out why John Baker was appointing an unexperienced person for such an important job. But she didn't need to know that. It was time for her to do her job.

She raised her hand and was picked by the young chairman to start the press conference.

"Mr. Baker, what would you like to tell us about the new Sporting Director?" asked Mary.

She had already informed the club of the question she was going to ask already so that they can prepare an appropriate answer. John Baker was quite young, and from the previous press conference, she could clearly tell that he wasn't used to dealing with media. So she took this opportunity to do him a favor that will help her down the line.

"Michael, our new sporting director, worked as a chief analyst at Portsmouth before joining us. Michael impressed us in the interview which led us to hiring him. He has extensive knowledge about football and his thoughts about squad building match with ours. Even though he is quite young, I see that as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. So, we are confident to build an exciting team here that will lead us back to Premier league."

Mary didn't know from where he was getting his confidence. From what Mary could see, he was just a shy young man. Even though he worked at Portsmouth, he didn't work in management or coaching staff. He worked as an analyst. Mary, alongwith being a reporter, was also a die hard Leicester fan. That's what led her to become a sports reporter and reach to such heights at just 28 years old. That's why she was annoyed at Michael's appointment as the club's decision making authority.

"I would like a few words from Mr. Edwards." Mary suppressed her annoyance as she went on to do her job. It wasn't easy being the lead reporter covering Leicester City, her professionalism had led her here, and she wasn't going to let her feelings as a Leicester fan affect her.

"First of all, I am grateful to Mr. Baker for giving me this opportunity. Leicester is a great club and I am very happy to be here. I hope to live up to expectations of the fans and everyone who loves Leicester." Michael said as all the eyes turned to him.

Mary sat down as it was other reporters turn to ask questions. Mary wasn't very optimistic about the rest of the press conference because alongside Michael's appointment, there was another news, Robert Kelly's contract renewal. After asking around the club, she had found out that the new president was already searching for a new manager. She didn't mind, because even if he saved Leicester from relegation, he was the one to put Leicester in that position.

Another reporter stood up to ask question. Mary recognised him, he was Pearce Taylor from The Sun.

"Mr. Baker, to my knowledge, Mr. Kelly's contract is expiring this summer. What are your plans regarding the manager situation at Leicester?"

Mary knew that was coming. She looked towards Pearce who was feeling quite happy about the question he asked.

"We are grateful for the work Mr. Kelly has done at Leicester for the last 18 months, but the club requires a new direction. So we won't be renewing Mr. Kelly's contract this summer. The search for a new manager is ongoing, we will inform you as soon as we find someone." John Baker replied.

'That... went better than I expected' Mary thought while another reporter stood up.

"Mr. Baker, we've seen Leicester overspending for the last few years with little progress made. What would be your transfer strategy and how much are you willing to invest this summer?"

"We have a transfer budget of a 10 million pounds this summer, but it's not a hard cap. If the right player becomes available, we are willing to exceed that number. As for the players we are targetting, that will depend on the manager ." John replied.

The press conference then continued without much intrigue. Some questions were asked from all three of them, but they were regular questions. After half an hour of questions and answer, it was over.

Mary wasn't very confident in the new leadership leading the club back to Premier league in two years as they promised, but she could only hope.