The slump was no longer just a slump; it was a full-blown, five-alarm, code-red crisis.

The final, and most dramatic, act of our tragicomedy of errors came after another dismal, soul-destroying defeat.

It was a game we should have won, a game we were winning, until a late, and utterly calamitous, defensive mix-up gifted the opposition an equalizer, before a last-minute penalty, conceded by a moment of sheer, bloody-minded, and completely unnecessary, stupidity from one of our most experienced players, condemned us to another humiliating defeat.

The final whistle was a mercy. But the real drama was just beginning.

In the dressing room after the game, the toxic, simmering, and deeply unpleasant atmosphere that had been building for weeks finally, and spectacularly, exploded.

Baz, our grizzled, veteran, and usually unflappable centre-back, and Kev, our big, strong, and equally combustible, centre-forward, were screaming at each other, their faces just inches apart, their voices a torrent of angry, bitter, and deeply personal, recriminations.

Baz was blaming Kev for not holding the ball up, for not working hard enough, for being lazy. Kev was blaming Baz for the defensive error, for being too slow, for being past it.

It was ugly, it was personal, and it was getting out of control. I tried to intervene, to be the calm, authoritative voice of reason. But they weren't listening. They were too far gone, too lost in their own personal worlds of anger and frustration.

And then, it happened. Kev pushed Baz. Baz pushed him back. And then, they were on the floor, a flailing, punching, and pathetic, tangle of limbs and rage. The other players had to pull them apart. The dressing room, our sanctuary, our home, had become a war zone.

It was the lowest point of my managerial career. The lowest point of my life. I had lost control. I had lost the dressing room. I had lost the plot. I was a failure. A complete, and utter, failure.

The next day, I was summoned to a meeting with Terry Blackwood. He was a man who had invested his money, his faith, and his club's future, in me. And I had let him down. He was not angry. He was worse than angry. He was disappointed.

"What's going on, Danny?" he asked, his voice a mixture of concern, of confusion, of a deep, and weary sadness.

"I don't understand. You were flying. You were heroes. Now… now you're a shambles. We've slipped to third in the table. Salford are top again, five points clear. The promotion dream is turning into a nightmare. You need to fix this, son. And you need to fix it now."

I walked out of his office, the weight of his disappointment a heavy, crushing, and unbearable, burden on my shoulders. He was right. I had to fix it. But I had no idea how. I was out of ideas, I was out of energy, I was out of hope. I was broken.

I did the only thing I could think of. I went to see Emma. She was the only person I could talk to. The only person who I knew would understand. The only person who I knew wouldn't judge me.

I turned up at her flat, a pathetic, rain-sodden, and utterly defeated, figure. She opened the door, took one look at me, and said, "Jesus, Danny. You look like a drowned rat that's just been told his entire family died."

"That's... oddly specific," I managed.

"Come in before you flood my hallway."

She made me tea. I told her everything. The slump, the arguments, the fight, the meeting with Terry. I told her that I was a failure, that I was out of my depth, that I was going to resign.

"You're not resigning," she said flatly.

"I am."

"You're not. You're just having a dramatic moment because you're soaking wet and feeling sorry for yourself."

She wasn't wrong.

She listened patiently, her expression a mixture of sympathy, of concern, of a deep, and unwavering, love. She let me talk, she let me vent, she let me pour out all my fear, all my frustration, all my self-pity.

And when I had finished, when I was just a silent, empty, and utterly broken, shell of a man, she did not offer me solutions. She did not offer me advice. She just offered me a reason to believe again.

"You're not a failure, Danny," she said, her voice soft, but firm.

"You're a brilliant, passionate, and incredibly talented, football manager who is going through a tough time. You've forgotten who you are. You've forgotten why you started this journey in the first place. You didn't start it to win trophies, or to get promotion, or to become a local hero. You started it because you love football. You started it because you love the game. You started it because you have a unique, and beautiful, and brilliant, ability to see the best in people, to bring them together, to make them believe in themselves, and in each other."

She took my hand, her eyes locking with mine. "I believe in you, Danny," she said, her voice a fierce, and deeply moving, whisper. "I believe in your vision. I believe in your passion. I believe in your ability to fix this. You are not a failure. You are the best manager, and the best man, I have ever known. And you are not going to give up. We are not going to give up."

She leaned in, and she kissed me. It was not a passionate kiss. It was a gentle, and tender, and deeply reassuring, kiss.

A kiss that was full of love, of support, of a deep, and unwavering, belief. A kiss that was a lifeline. A kiss that was a promise. A promise that I was not alone. A promise that she would be there for me. A promise that we would get through this. Together.

***

Thank you for 50 Power Stones, there's more to come.

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