That man was , and he would quickly demonstrate that those shadowy cabalistic powers behind the throne still knew what they were doing, even if nobody else did. The Fulham man would steer the good ship Logica FC through some choppy waters during the next four years, a feat all the more impressive due to the number of experienced hands abandoning ship as 's cruise progressed. But whilst maintaining standards on the field, it would be 's off-field management that would distinguish him as a legendary Supremo - a combination of skilful administration, adept man-management and an unbelievable commitment to the cause.

Clarke's honeymoon period was brief. Hardly had he begun plotting a glorious course for the drifting tub that had bequeathed him, than he was unceremoniously re-billetted to the distinctly unglamorous port of Southend. But for a man who regularly and eagerly trekked to Hartlepool and Carlisle on wintry Tuesday evenings to watch the Mighty Whites, a weekly sortie from deepest Essex to London for League meetings hardly raised an eyebrow.

The gaffer's next problem was far more challenging: replace , who had somewhat selfishly decided to concentrate solely on his semi-professional career. In the end, shrewdly decided that was irreplaceable, and instead reverted to the traditional SAS triumvirate of , and , the latter two having spent the last couple of seasons sacrificing themselves in midfield and in gloves to let in the shining light of , whilst the was in the process of an inverse metamorphosis from net-bulging striker to midfield work-horse.

As kicked off his managerial career, there was an air of keen expectancy and nobody wanted to miss out. Take for example. Keen to amend for his schoolboy error of choosing the eve of a new season [1993-94] as the date for his marriage to long-time Logica FC hooligan "Izza" Voyles, the Scottish hitman was desperate to stake his claim for a ride on the revolution. Having given 110% at the ceremony and reception on the Saturday, was found eagerly waiting outside the Astrodome changing rooms early on Sunday morning. But whilst there had been bucket loads of romance in the air the day before, there was none left on this second match-day. A strike, deflected into the net off a defender, was ruthlessly credited as an own goal, before the new Supremo showed an equally brutal philosophy when he substituted the groom after an hour.

Despite this hard-edged ambition, 's first competitive match at the helm ended in a 2-2 draw, and the season unfolded in similarly unsatisfying vein. The gaffer was not to be rushed into the transfer market, perhaps mindful that his sole signing to date had played just two games before a serious injury had ended his season, although would go on to fulfil a glittering and lengthy career with the club. Furthermore it was increasingly evident that the West End League was staggering towards the gutter, as opponents increasingly turned up pissed; more interested in kicking lumps than balls, whilst referees didn't turn up at all.

did not mess about, and before his first year was out had identified the Wandsworth based Sportsman's League as a far higher quality product, which guaranteed a referee, football-playing opponents, and a whole season's worth of fixtures scheduled at the outset. A rapid response and grading game showed that these new mandarins were on the ball, and the club's seven year association with the West End League was hastily severed with few regrets.

There was just time to bid farewell courtesy of the Arthur Dann Memorial Ruck. This was the Final of an invitation tournament for those teams with the best disciplinary records via a show-piece match at Hendon FC. Unfortunately a slightly ill-timed challenge from no-nonsense stopper sparked a 21-man brawl, and a somewhat anti-climatic finale was crowned with a moment of seat-squirming comedy when the legendary asked Mrs Dann why her husband wasn't at the game. 's inaugural campaign did end on a personal high, however, as he scored one of the goals that beat a crack Dutch outfit 2-1 in the shadow of the old Ajax stadium in the club's by-now annual European end-of-season touah.

The quality of football in the Sportsman's League turned out to be as good as the administration in Logica's inaugural season. Shrewdly anticipating the higher standard, had persuaded the board to splash out on some big name pre-season transfers such as and . But heavy first round Cup defeats, including a record 11-0 defeat to the top-tiered Varsovia, made it clear that Logica faced a steep learning curve. To their credit, the suits opened their wallets again, allowing to go on a shopping spree that saw him pick up a spanking new Italian libero (), a mock-Brazilian defender masquerading as a striker () and a well-oiled midfield cog who would quickly go on to become a club(bing) legend ().

As the new squad began to gel, 's refitted ship slowly began to stabilise and enough hard-won points were eked out to enable Logica to just keep their heads above the relegation water-line in the Senior Amateur Reserve Division (the second division of seven). The following season [1995-96] was marred by the infamous Cardinal Sinner incident, in which midfield engine room had his jaw broken by a head-butting opponent who eventually received a custodial sentence for this assault. The irrepressible Geordie would not play again until the following season, but Logica had to recover quicker, and once again just about held their own in this exalted company as they scraped enough points for survival.

As Logica's third Sportsmans season wove a similar pattern of creditable defeats sprinkled with the occasional magnificent victory (such as the famous Roy of the Rovers win against Gardeners Arms), decided it was time for a clean pair of hands to add some fresh ideas and impetus. It was a fitting epitaph to the reign of this fine and hard-working club servant, that he once more steered the club to safety against all the odds, albeit with more impact in the corridors of power down at Sportsman HQ than on the field of play. A woeful end to the season was somehow salvaged when a solitary but creditable point against Benedict was miraculously transformed into four as a result of the BeanGate Inquiry.

But the great man's legacy was more significant and wide-reaching than mere domestic acclimatisation. Two brainchildren conceived and lovingly nurtured during the supremacy would prove to have a far-reaching impact that would benefit generations of Logicians to come. Firstly, two young visionaries called and invented the Logica World Cup, a global tournament and all-round festival of football born in 1995 which would grow so quickly that it would soon boast sixteen entrants annually, and had already celebrated its 11th competition at the time of writing [2005].

Secondly, in anticipation of the inevitable and resultant annual succession of English World Cup glory, the need for a wide-reaching media organ in which to trumpet these successes seemed paramount. Media mogul set the ball rolling when he happened upon some desktop publishing freeware, and newspaper "red" baron quickly picked up the baton and took "If Selected…" to a higher level where it rolled off the presses six times a season at its peak. Although English domination of the International game never quite materialised, there still seemed plenty to write about, and pioneered yet another managerial skill as he quickly learned how to deal with the press in this new age of 24-hour media saturation.