Season 8 Episode 25 Episode 349 Sky One Transmission Date: Sunday 10th April 2005 Directed by Riitta-Leena Lynn

Fletch's dream... Jaws' nightmare Fletch, Frank, Ryan Jodie, Don Getting close to the fans Viv

GS: Eli Knox (Shane Lynch) Mary Maloney (Amanda Royle) Kevin Keatings (as himself) After Harchester lose to Ipswich town, Eli tells the team that a suitable replacement for manager is not on the way so until the end of the season one of them will have to do the job. Fletch, Curtis and Viv all see themselves as the main runners, and Viv puts his mind into action imagining how his contenders would handle the challenge. Beginning with Fletch, he sees him lapping up the glory and posing with a Harchester shirt personalised with 'Gaffer 11' on the back. For the game, Don sits commentating with Kevin Keatings, and when he correctly predicts the formation Fletch will be using, Karl goes down to the away dressing room to change everything at the last minute. Fletch loses the support of Curtis who throws off his captain’s armband. The team take to the pitch and Arsenal are the first to score. Viv snaps back to reality and takes Fletch out of the running to be manager, and moves onto Curtis. Curtis rounds up the lads and brings along who he calls his first signing - a spiritual healer who will help them mentally on the pitch. When Fletch makes a joke about her techniques, Curtis tells him to leave. At training, Curtis realises the team are already against him in one thing - that he is being too harsh on Fletch. On the night of the match Don voices his opinion that Curtis should not be playing Ryan in this game. Ryan comes to Curtis that he was feeling a twinge in the warm up but Curtis tells him it's too late as he needs him on the pitch. Harchester and Arsenal stay 0-0 at half time, and into the second half Ryan goes down screaming in pain. The camera flashes to his right leg with the bone sticking out through. Ryan is stretchered off the pitch, in agony at having broken his leg again, and Curtis watches on in despair. Viv flashes back and knows Curtis would be a disaster. He realises he has to do something and goes to see Eli to put his case forward. The next morning the boys arrive for training to find a new regime waiting for them, including a code of conduct and dossiers on each and every team member. They are told by Scott the new manager is waiting on the pitch, and are surprised to find Viv standing there. The team believe it’s a joke but soon realise this is for real and Viv is their new manager. Jodie visits Don in his room, where she tells him to fight the team over this “vendetta”. Viv’s first training session is a success. Jodie comes over and yells for Frank, who informs her all about the shocking truth of Barker and Nicole. Viv goes to see Caskey, and tells Carl he understands his situation. Viv adds that he's taking the lads for a run that evening and suggests joining them would help, and that maybe talking to Nicole would too. Jodie meets with Nicole, stating her father shouldn't be punished because Nicole is a slag! Nicole retorts she'd be angry too if she’d found out her father was a desperate, dirty old man, but reminds Jodie that she is being punished too with Carl leaving her. Jodie goes back to Don and thinks what he has done is disgusting, and all she can think of is her mom and what she would have done, to which Don reacts angrily. Viv and the lads gather outside the club's gates where Viv tells them they've been shut up inside the club so it’s time the rest of the town saw them on this run. At the match at Highbury, Don refers to the current goings-on at Harchester and the appointment of Viv as manager as a circus. The score remains 0-0 at half time and the team are still high on the belief they can do this. They are taken down with a goal from Henry, and Harchester lose the game 1-0 but are still in with a shot with the second leg still to be played at the Lair. Eli comes to congratulate the lads on a tough game played, but Viv is tormented over the goal that wasn't supposed to happen. Viv begins to worry the lads when he says the same mistake has already been made for the next game. Notes: The Best: An episode that plays with time and reality is always nice for a change. The last time we experienced this beyond Chelsea’s “return” in 8.16 (#340) Gambler’s Ruin was 7.1 (#293) Groundhog Day. It is also great to see Viv become manager, with Philip Brodie continuing to shine. In Viv’s vision of Fletch as manager, Curtis throws off his captain’s armband to be picked up and placed on by Viv without anyone seeming to notice. Jodie, despite always being her dad’s number one supporter, shows that there is a line in how far she is prepared to stand by him and his actions. The team’s run across the town centre. Quotes: Jodie’s solution to Don’s removal at the hands of the team is short and sweet: “Fight them”. To Frank, with how whatever went on with her dad couldn't have been worse than shagging rent-boys. Frank tells her that at least they went willingly. Continuity: Curtis telling Eli how he can turn the team into the band of brothers they were last year. We get another indirect reference to Jodie’s mother, and Don's wife, being deceased. Additional Info: Viv's board reads that he is 29 years old. What Was The Score?: Harchester lose 3-0 to Ipswich Town. They then lose at the Quarter Final First Leg of the Champions League, 1-0 to Arsenal. Soundtrack: Amon Tobin: "Easy Muffin", Armand Van Helden: "Necessary Evil", Bees: "Wash In The Rain", Green Day: "Holiday", Placebo: "Twenty Years", Ramones: "Blitzkrieg Bop", Rare Earth: "I Just Want To Celebrate", Scissor Sisters: "The Skins", The Black Keys: "Girl Is On My Mind", The Chemical Brothers: "The Big Jump” <<SE08 EP24 | Season 8 Main Page | SE08 EP26>>