Romantic on the Field

55.

Blackpool FC was a team with many similarities to Stoke City.

The fact that it creates a lot of surprises beyond the expectations of experts, that it went to the Premier League and then fell to League One, and that it is a team that has risen to the championship again, and that it is a team that enjoys counterattacks after player expenses, etc.

“Yes, Blackpool. It’s also the team I played for. Ha ha ha.”

And both are also the teams coach Charlie was in during his active career.

“…”

The home team’s locker room at Bet 777 Stadium before the match.

There was a moment of silence in the locker room at the sharing of information that they didn’t want to know. Players who did not know how to react simply chose to keep their mouths shut.

Same goes for Jamie.

‘Let’s talk tactics quickly.’

Beyond simply being silent, I thought about that and waited for Charlie’s next words.

“ha ha ha! It’s not that important, is it?”

When the players didn’t react, Charlie suddenly stopped laughing.

“Blackpool is a team with good defensive organization. It won’t be easy for any player to break through alone. But······.”

But.

It wasn’t too difficult to guess what was going to happen next.

“We have Jamie.”

Kwa-ang. Then, after hitting the whiteboard for no reason, I looked around the team.

“There is Brian, there is Robin. And, the new Wales Express.”

“···hahahaha.”

As his eyes turned to him, Ned Keating smiled awkwardly.

“Go and destroy the opposing organization and come back.”

And that was it.

‘Well? Any more?’

Jamie looked at Charlie with a bewildered expression, then shifted his gaze to Milo, who was standing behind him.

if u see this you eather reading in epub or from somewhere other than noble so just bear with it it may break the flow but nothing can be done sigh

Milo just stood there silently, his eyes wide open as usual for some reason.

[Blackpool FC coach Kevin Linford Stewart, “Stoke City’s ace will be suffocated by Blackpool’s suffocating defense.” ]

b [ “You won’t be able to score a single goal at home.” rant ]

[‘Sniper’ remarks toward Jamie Lee caused controversy on social media]

ㄴ [ streetp** – What is the argument. I’m just unilaterally swearing at you lol ]

b [ parmin** – who? Are you talking about your ace who always swears? ]

ㄴ [ monkai** – It’s the director who speaks. ]

During the game, Blackpool’s coach was talking about ‘suffocating defense’ and even got excited. That’s why I had no choice but to care more about Stoke City’s tactics today.

However, as before Preston, Charlie coolly took the coaches and left the locker room as if he had said everything he had to say.

‘Am I going to leave it to the players now?’

Jamie looked around at the squad with a worried feeling.

Whatever the intentions of the coaching staff, the players’ expressions looked quite determined. It was to the point where I wondered if the opponent’s coach’s provocation before the game had a positive effect on my motivation.

“Now, let’s say our ace today.”

After a while, after the preparations for the competition were over and the players gathered, Captain Oliver said with a smile on his face.

In addition? Jamie glanced at him.

“Why. In fact, you are now the vice-captain of our team.”

Oliver, who confirmed his gaze, erased his smile and replied with a serious face.

“…I’m not the vice-captain, but well. I won’t bother taking it off.”

Jamie let out a short sigh as if he couldn’t help it, and let out a rhyme.

“I said something like Stoke City’s ace, but no matter who sees it, it was aimed at me. right?”

Several players nodded at Jamie’s words.

“But I don’t think these are just words aimed at me alone.”

“right. I think so.”

Brian quickly agreed.

“But anyway, I was the one who was personally shot, so I’ll tell you what I think. I want to blow their noses today. How are you guys?”

“Me too!”

Brian agreed once more.

“You guys too?”

“of course.”

Then Oliver smiled again and answered.

“great. Let’s make those who ignored our ace regret it. Stoke.”

“Stoke! Stoke!”

Finally, the captain shouted a slogan, and they left the locker room with a grim expression.

**

After a while, the game starts…

‘What on earth did you talk like that?’

Jamie wandered around the half-line, looking at the opposing camp.

‘ah.’

Then I thought I knew why the opposing team manager said that.

Blackpool originally said they would use a back three. But today there were at least five defenders standing in the Blackpool half.

The ‘suffocating defense’ he said seemed to mean literally blocking the breath of defenders by putting them upright.

Is it a real backfive? Jamie’s brow narrowed. Upon closer inspection, it was not a real back five, but rather a form of two holding midfielders in front of the back three. However, the gap between the midfielder and the central defender was so narrow that it seemed as if there were five central defenders.

Actually, whether it was a back three or a back five didn’t really matter. What mattered was the fact that Blackpool adopted an extreme defensive tactic that would only be used against teams in the Premier League or Primera Liga.

‘Well, I’m not playing against Real Madrid.’

It was absurd, but I dragged the ball and went forward. It was to pull the players out of the penalty box.

However, the opponent showed an unexpected reaction.

As Jamie neared the penalty box, the two holding midfielders, instead of coming forward to reduce the angle, rather receded further inside.

Besides, that wasn’t the end.

Even the full-backs, who had spread out to the side, entered the penalty box and formed a long barrier. It was changed to back seven, not back three or back five.

‘No, do you have no intention of winning at all?’

Jamie was embarrassed beyond absurd.

Of course, I wasn’t just panicking all the time. I immediately thought of the law of destruction in my head.

‘Infinite cross after side breakthrough, or penetration from half space.’

When the opponent stopped the bus, these were the two most common ways to try.

However, there was no player with a good aerial ball to attempt an infinite cross, and there was no player to penetrate from the half space when Mikel was put in without Robin.

On the contrary, even if Robin penetrated, it was questionable whether he would be able to put a through pass. Even though there was a lot of defense in the Blackpool camp, there were too many. It seemed likely that it would be cut off before reaching Robin.

‘Then what shall I do? I have to shake it.’

Then I had to try an unconventional method.

If you couldn’t move or knock down a bus blocking the road, you had to grab it and shake it.

Tok, tok. Jamie started driving the ball.

‘let’s go. Shake the bus.’

**

Kevin Linford Stewart was once a youngster who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. However, he did not grow as much as expected, and after that, he wandered around various clubs and settled in Blackpool only in his late 20s.

Since then, he has shown steady performance even if he is not special, and even after retiring, he remained at Blackpool and received leadership training.

After that, I was pretty lucky. It was to the point where I felt that the luck I hadn’t had during my active career came belatedly. Kevin became head coach of the youth team two years later, and head coach of the adult team a year later.

Even then, Blackpool was a mediocre lower league club, going back and forth between the Championship and League One. However, they have never been relegated to League One since Kevin took over as head coach.

The secret was stabilizing the defense.

The Blackpool Board Jean recognized Kevin’s true worth. So, after boldly dismissing the manager who was recording not bad results, Kevin was put in his place.

“The team that is good at offense sells tickets, and the team that is good at defense wins.”

Kevin was a believer in the old adage of sports.

Although they did not win the title due to their poor objective performance, Blackpool’s league rankings have risen significantly since Kevin took over.’

Same goes for today.

He prepared a so-called ‘stopping the bus’ to stop Jamie from chewing up the championship.

‘Why didn’t I do this?’

Kevin has not been able to understand Stoke City’s opponents in the meantime. The opponent in the last game, Preston, was particularly bad.

They only lowered the defensive line, but kept the gap between the defense and the defense and the midfield. They didn’t even place many players in the penalty box.

Because of that, he was swung back and forth by Jamie throughout the game and was defeated 3-0.

Hue the great ducks army admiral is coming for u all

No, you can just block the front of the goal, but why not? Beyond not understanding, Kevin felt frustrated and annoyed.

‘Look at this. Is it okay?’

Today he finally met Stoke City. And after 20 minutes of the first half, he was sure he was right.

It was because Jamie, who is recording three offensive points per game, nine goals and nine assists in six games, was not creating a proper opportunity.

‘The variable is Ned Keating…’

He shifted his gaze to the outside of the field.

Because he was surprisingly recruited at the end of the transfer market, he was not prepared for Ned Keating.

However, I didn’t think there would be much of a problem. Even if the flanks are pierced a hundred times a thousand times, if the center is crowded with defenders, he will not be able to do anything about it.

“Keeting, go!”

“Up!”

It’s the same now.

Hue the great ducks army admiral is coming for u all

Ned Keating, who drove the ball alone from under the half-line to the far end of the Blackpool half, raised a cross. However, the result was the central defender’s header clear.

Time passed, and the game did not change much.

[ WOOO-OOOO ]

[WOO-, WOO-! ]

Eventually, at the 40th minute of the first half, the Stoke City home crowd started booing.

“hahahaha.”

To Kevin, the booing sounded like rave reviews.

Stoke City’s momentum was so good. Plus the opponent’s home game. If you can earn a point just by being booed, it was welcomed by Blackpool.

‘Well?’

Then, it was around the 43rd minute of the first half that I noticed a change in the opponent’s movement.

As before, Ned Keating drove the ball all the way up the Blackpool half.

However, Jamie, who had been infiltrating into the half-space slightly tilted to the right of the center, suddenly changed direction and came down further down the center.

‘Medium distance?’

At the same time that thought came to my mind, Ned Keating made a cutback pass to Jamie.

And as expected, Jamie fired a mid-range shot.

Per-billion.

However, Jamie’s shot hit the Blackpool defender’s body, which was concentrated in the penalty box, and went straight out.

‘Didn’t I think of that?’

Kevin smiled wryly. No matter how good a player is, there is nothing he can do if players are crowded right in front of the goalpost. If you kick it into the goal, it will hit the defender’s body, and if you kick it outside the goal, it will be a goal-out.

In the end, Stoke City didn’t have a clear chance until the end of the first half.

The score is 0 to 0.

Against Stoke City, who have been showing incredible performance lately, the first half ended without conceding a goal in the away game.

“great. It was not difficult to block the fierce attacks of Lee and Ned Keating, who made a fuss in the press, and the Welsh Express and all. Even at the opponent’s home. You can be proud of it.”

It was a very satisfying result for Kevin.

“Stoke City rarely find a solution. Therefore, our strategy is still valid. Okay, let’s just go like this for now. Do you understand?”

“Yep!”

After halftime was over, the second half started.

The second half of the game seemed to be going the same way as the first half.

Hue the great ducks army admiral is coming for u all

Ned Keating works hard through the side alone. But it doesn’t produce results.

Stoke City’s attack was just there.

‘Jamie is quiet today…’

Originally, he would have actively tried to break through the dribble at least once or twice. However, today, for some reason, Jamie did not attempt a single breakthrough. Sometimes it was all about trying to lure players around the outside of the penalty box or attempting a mid-range shot that fits the defender’s body.

‘Did I give up?’

It was natural for Kevin to think that way.

“It’s a cutback!”

“Narrow the angle!”

if u see this you eather reading in epub or from somewhere other than noble so just bear with it it may break the flow but nothing can be done sigh

Moments later, Ned Keating, who pierced the side again, made a cutback pass to Jamie as before.

I’ll hit the wall again Kevin looked at the scene with a rather plain expression beyond being confident.

‘uh?’

But this time it was different.

Tok, tok. Jamie then took the ball short and approached the defenders in the penalty box.

‘Am I finally trying to break through?’

He could have been nervous enough, but Kevin’s face, who had been fully prepared for this, overflowed with composure. He even had a smile on his lips.

‘As expected, he’s still a kid.’

There must be at least a minimum space to break through, but there was no such space in the Blackpool penalty box now.

Even if it’s Messi or Holland, it’s a bunch of people who are alone in breaking through the many defenses that are blocking the front of the goal. Kevin thought so.

However, Jamie tried to break through.

Tuduk. He cast a phantom dribble against the front-most defense. Fortunately, the defense wasn’t fooled.

Jamie did not disappoint and went straight to the upper body painting and the turn right after. It worked this time.

However, it was not of great significance. Immediately, a nearby player covered the space, and again Blackpool’s penalty box was filled with defenders.

‘uh? Aren’t you giving up yet?’

Jamie embarrassed Kevin once more. He didn’t care at all and continued to use his skills and try to break through.

If the step-over didn’t work, I did a phantom dribble, and if that didn’t work, I tried upper body painting and a turn.

‘Are you really going to pierce?’

It was absurd. It was so absurd that even the smile on his lips disappeared.

Hue the great ducks army admiral is coming for u all

Nonetheless, Jamie’s breakthrough attempts continued.

Again step over and phantom dribbling, upper body painting and shooting painting, and again after phantom shooting painting······.

Ted deuk.

how long has it been

I was watching Jamie struggling to break through alone, but suddenly I heard a strange sound in Kevin’s ears.

get it,

Hue the great ducks army admiral is coming for u all

No, it wasn’t an actual sound.

Ted deed deuk.

It was just that Kevin’s brain, being conscious of the fact that Blackpool’s defense was slowly collapsing, came up with sound effects that fit the situation.

‘Why does it collapse?’

Kevin’s pupils moved busily. And I could immediately figure out the cause.

When one player was passed, the next player immediately covered, and even after that player was passed, another player next to him filled in.

“Neville, don’t follow me!”

But in the process, the defenders were moving after him without realizing it.

if u see this you eather reading in epub or from somewhere other than noble so just bear with it it may break the flow but nothing can be done sigh

Minutely, little by little so that at first glance it is not noticeable.

Jamie didn’t stop there. I exchanged one-touch passes with Robin and Brian, who came down to receive the pass.

Between the tight defensive intervals, passes came and went without a single error.

“Keep your seat!”

Kevin exclaimed urgently.

At that moment, Robin, who was exchanging passes with Jamie, suddenly changed direction and squeezed himself between the defenders.

swish All eyes of the defenders were on Robin.

In a situation where the defensive formation was already collapsing, it was only natural that the attention of the defenders was focused on the line breaking attempt.

And Jamie didn’t miss the opportunity. Two-woong. I immediately sped up and moved to the back space on the right side.

“It’s pierced!”

“Hit it!”

For Jamie, who succeeded in breaking through with tenacity, the only option left now is to shoot.

Everyone in the stadium now guessed so.

‘Shooting, isn’t it?’

But, it wasn’t.

Kevin’s pupils moved rapidly and shook rapidly.

The ball that left Jamie’s feet was rolling towards the left far post on the other side, not the goal post.

Per-billion.

And at the end of it was Ned Keating.

squash.

Hue the great ducks army admiral is coming for u all

Ned Keating connected it with a direct shot, and the ball passed between the crotches of the goalkeeper and shook the net.

[eee-Yeee! ]

As if the Stoke City home crowd had been waiting, they stood up and cheered.

It was the moment when Kevin’s suffocating defense, which he was so confident in, collapsed due to Jamie’s persistence.