The Tiger is waiting in an airport departure lounge on his way back to Monte Carlo when he calls The Kid for an update on the managerial reshuffle in Madrid.
The Boss has been assessing possible replacements, but the list of candidates ranges from old-school football men to fiery modern coaches and one familiar figure who may simply be willing to return for another spell.
A Call from the Departure Lounge
The Tiger is killing time before his flight back to Monte Carlo when he decides to call The Kid.
Madrid are in the middle of a managerial reshuffle, and The Tiger wants to know what is happening behind the scenes.
The Kid has already spoken to The Boss.
Apparently, several candidates are being assessed.
The Shortlist Begins
The first option seems to come from another era.
The Boss is not convinced that nineteenth-century football would survive at the Bernabéu.
For a club expected to dominate possession and entertain, a purely direct approach may be a difficult sell.
That does not stop the idea making the shortlist.
A Manager Who Can Punch His Way to the Top
The next candidate brings a very different type of energy.
Instead of relying on old-school tactics, this option appears capable of fighting his way through almost anything.
The Kid jokes that perhaps Madrid need someone who can literally punch his way to the top.
It is hardly the traditional managerial qualification, but in Storybook that only makes the candidacy more interesting.
The Familiar Face
Eventually the conversation turns to the most obvious possibility.
A manager who has already been there before.
He has a considerable appetite for the job.
And, most importantly, he seems to have accepted that he may still be second choice.
Sometimes football recruitment is less about finding the perfect candidate and more about finding the person willing to say yes.
Managerial Silly Season
The transfer window is not only about players.
Managers become part of the same rumour cycle.
Names are linked.
Agents brief journalists.
Supporters debate tactical philosophies.
And former managers suddenly become attractive again once the alternatives begin to disappear.
Storybook treats the managerial search exactly like a transfer shortlist, complete with strengths, weaknesses and increasingly questionable logic.
The Football Inspiration Behind the Comic
This episode was inspired by the managerial uncertainty surrounding Real Madrid in 2015 and the wide range of names linked with the club.
Rafael Benítez emerged as the eventual choice, while managers with contrasting styles and personalities continued to dominate football discussion.
The strip plays on those differences, exaggerating each candidate into a caricature of their football philosophy or public reputation.
Characters Featured
The Kid
The Kid provides The Tiger with the latest inside information from Madrid and offers his own increasingly sarcastic assessment of the managerial shortlist.
The Tiger
The Tiger is travelling back to Monte Carlo but remains interested in what is happening at his friend’s club, especially with major changes taking place.
The Boss
The Boss is responsible for assessing the candidates and appears to be working through every possible managerial type before making a final decision.
The Candidates
The shortlist represents several different football philosophies: old-school direct football, aggressive modern management and the familiar appeal of someone who has already worked at the club.
Behind the Gag
The joke is built around reducing elite managerial recruitment to a series of exaggerated character traits.
One candidate plays football from another century.
Another looks ready to fight his way into the job.
And the final option may simply be hungry enough to take it.
For The Kid and The Tiger, that appears to be enough to narrow the shortlist.
Looking Back
Originally published in 2015, The Candidates captured the uncertainty surrounding managerial changes at one of football’s biggest clubs.
It also fitted perfectly into Chapter 4’s wider silly-season theme, where speculation was no longer limited to players and transfer fees.
The next episode leaves the boardroom behind and heads to the cinema for one of football’s most notorious box-office failures.
