#candle writes

So here's my pitch

Ted comes back because he is miserable in Kansas and Rebecca comes to him with a proposition. The women's team is floundering, it's just not going anywhere, so funding is lacking, and they need a spark. He gets his ego played and comes back to "advise". But he arrives and the current head coach (we'll call her L as I cba coming up with a name) is royally pissed. Ted is adamant that he is not replacing her, he's only here to help. L's main problem, Ted coming in actually does help because suddenly the media care. Now they are getting sponsorship deals, now they are getting people coming to the matches, now they are getting local investment.

However Ted is at a loss because when he came into the men's team they were a good team that lacked direction. This team don't have that; they get on (some of them are even fucking each other), they have good tactics. This team is just what it is ... a 2nd tier team. Majority of the team are part time, including L who is a men's team physio as her main job, as Rebecca can't funnel that much money in without returns. They are training basically in a field and playing on a pitch with one stand that is a storm away from collapse. And some of the players just aren't good enough but they don't have the calibre to get loans or the money to get better players.

I want to see Ted have to fight for his team. I want to see Ted in the media campaigning for more investment into women's football. I want to see Ted have to tell a player they aren't renewing her contract. I want to see Ted run into one of his players working in JD Sports when he goes to get Henry some new boots. I want to see Ted walking the training pitch with L before a session filling in rabbit holes. I want to see Ted's anger that more women footballers get injured because all the research on sports injuries is about men. I want to see Ted stepping back and realising that as a coach he needs to rely on those that have the insight, and know the game.

I want to see Ted realising that he doesn't have all the answers but he is going to keep fighting anyway because these girls deserve better

At the World Cup, Jamie is doing an interview about the support he has and he talks about Richmond and Roy and Keeley and his mum. Then he gets asked who's there to support him. Which is a harder question, Roy had spent a few days at the England camp but needs to be home for Richmond stuff. Keeley and his mum cant leave work for long. His mum is still uncomfortable in football stadiums. Long story short, there isnt people there to support him. They're all in England.

Until there is a booming shout from the back of the crowd, "thats my boy. Scoring for England!"

Stood at the back with matching grins is Sam Obisanya and his dad Ola who's echoing voice it was.

I'm imaging Jamie and Roy getting together and being together for a couple of years happily when Jamie gets ... weird. He's antsy and nervous and disappearing a lot compared to the clinginess up until that point.

Roy eventually manages to pin him down (probs in the boot room) and finds out that their relationship has gone past the 'expiration date'. Jamie has never been able to keep platonic or romantic relationships for any extended period of time as hes found people get bored or fed up off him quickly. As a young kid, other parents didnt really like his messing about and inability to focus and so he wasnt invited to events. At secondary school he was the class clown and had loads of friends until they started to focus on their studies and got fed up with him. At the academy there was so much competition and turnover.

so I am firmly on Team Yoga Mums Know Roy is Roy Kent

However ... what if they didnt and were just football blind and had absolutely no clue. Until their Regular Guy Friend Roy starts dating Jamie aka. Jamie Tartt Off Of The Television. Because now they need to know how Roy met Jamie Tartt Off Of The Television when Roy just works in an office that has weird dynamics and surprisingly high stakes.

So when Roy brings Jamie round to meet them they ask him "so how did you two meet?" and Jamie just *static noises* and squeaks out "we work together?"

"Roy we didnt know you worked in television???"

Which gives Jamie two revelations:

1 - (the angst one) there are people in the world that only know Jamie Tartt for getting his abs out on the tele

2 - (the fun one) he is in a prime position to fuck with Roy which is his favourite past time

From On the House

Yessss, once I'm done with whumptober I really need to dust this off and work out a plan for what the fic will look like. But I did have a lot of fun writing them this weekend so thank you!

Ooo I'm going to assume you are the same Ted Lasso anon and go with that!

I have a lot of completely inane Jamie Tartt headcannons based on growing up in in the early 2000s in Northern England, like an ungodly amount really that get snuck into my fics when I feel like it

Here's a few:

Jamie got a Blue Peter badge when he was a kid for some sporting challenge for Sports Relief and it is one of his most prized possessions. Roy is pissy about it because he never got a Blue Peter badge because during his early playing days he was "not a good role model for children"

Jamie really wants to go on Strictly Come Dancing mainly because of the sequins but his footwork in football does not help with the salsa

He knows this because Ted made them all go for salsa lessons to help the players work on their footwork and speed at changing directions. Jamie just couldn't keep with the music. Roy filmed it and shows it to Jamie whenever he's been a unsanctioned prick

Jamie has 17 "cousins" who are just his mum's friends children who he ran riot with as a child. Roy and Keeley have flashcards. Too many of them are called Jack.

Jamie had a childhood phase of wanting to learn how to do parkour. He still owes a lot of his old neighbours money for broken roof tiles and infamously once cut his leg up falling through a storm porch roof.

Jamie likes having children around but doesn't want one. He likes being able to be the fun uncle and then give the children back when he needs a nap. He very much doubts his ability to say no to a cute little face. Phoebe knows this and weaponises it.