Romantic on the Field

4.

[Football is the most important of the less important things in life] – Carlo Ancelotti

Port Vale FC is a football team with a history of 150 years.

However, apart from its long history, awareness among soccer fans was very minimal.

Not to mention, Port Vale have never been in the Premier League since their inception.

Most of them belonged to the EFL League One-Third Division, and there were not a few cases when they fell to the Fourth Division.

The only thing known about Port Vale was that it was a club supported by world-renowned pop star Robbie Williams, and that it was a rival club to Stoke City, a ‘man’s team’.

Jamie, too, hadn’t given much thought to Port Vale before. However, after returning, the latter became quite important as he joined Stoke City.

[Jamie Lee, derby against Port Vale right after joining. Possibility of business trip? ]

[Director Charlie Adam said, “Jamie Lee, expect good results in the derby game.” ]

“As soon as I joined, it was a derby game. Should I call this lucky or bad?”

Coincidentally, the day after Jamie’s official joining was the derby match against Port Vale.

“It’s a bit like being put into a game right away without team training, but I can’t help it because the situation is the situation. Let’s all hope that the freshman becomes a real fantasy star.”

A few people burst out laughing at the words of director Charlie Adam.

“…”

However, only a few burst out laughing.

Most of them looked at him with an expressionless face or with a confused expression.

‘Well, it’s worth checking.’

Jamie fully understood the feelings of his teammates.

A 20-year-old prospect who made a fuss in the media, such as a fantasy star, joined the team. Competition is a natural thing in the professional world, and it was inevitable that even if you were on the same team, you were nervous.

In addition, as soon as he joined, he played in one of the most important matches in the league, the derby. Among them, there were players who devoted themselves to the team not for one or two years, but for five or ten years. I thought, ‘Even if it’s like me, I’ll look bad’.

“Let’s talk more about it at the stadium.”

Due to the circumstances, it was difficult to hold a grand initiation ceremony right away. It was decided to proceed after the game, and the players and coaches took a bus to the stadium.

Stoke City’s home stadium is the ‘Bet 777 Stadium’. The original name was ‘Bet 365 Stadium’, but the owner, the longest-serving chairman, signed a naming rights contract and changed it to his own betting site name.

The distance from the training ground to the stadium was not far, so they arrived at the Bet 777 Stadium in no time.

“Come on, we don’t have much time left. Let’s go straight to the locker room.”

Coach Nick Powell clapped and shouted, and the squad headed straight to the locker room as he said.

“Lee, where are you going?”

Except for Jamie.

“A bathroom.”

“… Hurry up and go to the locker room.”

Jamie nodded and went into the bathroom.

Fortunately, no one was in the bathroom.

Whoa. In the early days of her debut, Jamie started doing a secret routine.

First, wash your hands carefully with soap and wash your face with cold water. Then look in the mirror and observe the water dripping from your face…

This was all of the routine.

Sometimes I look in the mirror and mutter something to myself like ‘I can do it’, but it’s too much of a made-up thing that I usually don’t do it.

‘Hanna.’

However, this time he muttered so quietly that no one could hear.

It was an action that was separate from the routine.

It was the first game played after returning to the past.

Returning to the past and coming to Stoke City were both related to Hannah. No, not just the current situation, but his overall life started with Hannah and ended with Hannah.

Naturally, she had to come to mind.

‘He must be busy with his work by now.’

Hannah couldn’t come to the game today because she was dealing with various things related to pregnancy, childbirth, and marriage. However, Jamie intended to play the game with the mindset that she was watching.

After a while, when the water seemed to be somewhat dry, Jamie came out of the bathroom.

“Hey, Phantasy Star.”

It was when we were almost at the locker room that someone spoke from behind.

Jamie turned his head with an expressionless face.

“Harry Harry.”

It was Harry Harris who called him.

Stoke City’s Local Boy.

aka Harry Harry.

“Five. I remember.”

Harry’s eyes widened slightly as Jamie called out his nickname.

“But I must have forgotten that I hate that title.”

“uh. I forgot.”

Didn’t forget.

“When did you leave the team and fly to Germany, and what were you thinking about?”

Harris stretched out his arm as if to put his arm around him.

widely.

Jamie blocked his arm.

“…as always, you.”

Harris’ eyes narrowed.

From an early age, Jamie didn’t like skinship.

“Well, okay. So why did you come to the 3rd division? Phantasy star, kicker Langliste The player selected for the national class. What, does your girlfriend even live in Stoke?”

It was a story that I knew about my girlfriend, of course.

The owner’s daughter and a rookie scout. An elite who graduated early in 2 years from the Department of Sports Management at Rough Lover University, which is ranked in the top 10 of British universities.

It was Jamie who had been dating her for a long time.

Read from noble mtl dot com

Local boy Harris, who pretends not to, but is full of affection and interest in the team, could not have known this fact.

However, I didn’t expect him to know that he was selected for the ‘National Class (noticeable level as a national team)’ at Kicker Langliste.

“Was I in national class?”

Jamie decided to make fun of this fact.

“You know something I didn’t know.”

Of course, I knew. I knew it all too well. I checked the Kicker-G homepage several times a day, and I captured the screen and kept it separately.

“Soccer players have to focus only on football. Aren’t you focusing too much on external things?”

“…really it’s still the same, it’s the same.”

Harry shook his head and went into the locker room. Jamie burst out laughing and followed him inside.

“ruler. It’s a derby game.”

After a while, the players all gathered and the coach’s briefing began.

“Apart from whether it is a rival or not, the opponent is a team that was promoted last year with a pull-up. It’s a game you have to hold on to.”

Charlie Adam was the owner of a cool and generous personality, but apart from that, he was a manager with almost no tactical capabilities.

“Today we go compact. Let’s play Stokedown football.”

Roughly blocking the opponent’s pass well, and if there was nowhere to give it, it was delivered to Sammy to raise a cross.

The lineup was also nothing special compared to the last game. It was composed of Mikel, the ‘tukbaegi one-tool’, and ten big men following him.

‘It’s Brian.’

However, compared to the last game, it was so, but there was something to note for Jamie.

Brian Lecca. A player who would later make it to the Premier League was at Stoke at this point.

“ruler. Let’s shout slogans and go in.”

After the briefing, captain Oliver called the players together.

“It is a derby game. let’s all focus Come on, one, two. Stoke!”

“Stoke! Stoke!”

As befits a ‘man’s team’, the players enthusiastically shouted slogans, even stretching the veins in their necks.

‘The slogans are so lame.’

Aside from that, Jamie didn’t like the slogan very much.

**

Jamie didn’t ask for much.

‘Just keep the tie until I’m put in’

‘Or just get one goal.’

I only wished for that much.

No matter how much Stoke City is on the decline, the opponent team was just a team that had just been promoted from the 4th division league.

Even if you’re not winning, don’t lose too much. I didn’t think it was too much wind.

However, at the end of the first half, the current score was 0-2.

Fortunately, Jamie’s expectations were exceeded.

The score is also a score, but the content of the game was more miserable.

The ratio was almost 8 to 2. Of course, 8 was Port Vale.

“Leave Patrick alone! We talked for 45 minutes, but what are we going to do if you don’t listen?”

Director Charlie Adam was very angry.

Port Vale captain Patrick.

He was a midfielder with the highest level of activity and defensive power in League One, but he was a player with little goal-making ability.

To a certain extent, it was at the level of hitting a home run even when the goalkeeper emptied the goal post to clear the cross.

However, Harry missed the opponent’s ace, Nathan, by marking such Patrick, and he scored two goals in a row. As a director, it was a situation where it was impossible not to be angry.

“Harry! Are you interested in men’s butts?”

“···no.”

“You especially like Patrick’s ass?”

“no!”

“But why do you keep following me! uh!”

Charlie Adam screamed with his face right in front of Harry.

Harry lowered his head, but said nothing.

However, in Jamie’s view, marking Patrick was a very minor issue.

The problem was different.

No, it was just a problem.

‘Will I lose even if I play against Augsburg Youth?’

The ability of each player, especially the physical, was outstanding. But that was it.

There was no such thing as a tactic, but he couldn’t even carry out a single mana tactic.

It was Stoke’s tactic to drop a lot of defensive lines and score goals using the so-called ‘tukbaegi one-tool’ Mikel.

However, there was no player to pass with Mikel’s head.

At least it would have to be a play aimed at the space behind the defense, but both the wing and the striker were awkwardly fighting with the opponent’s defender.

“Jamie.”

He was lost in thought when director Charlie Adam called him.

“Yes.”

“Prepare. Replace with Harris.

Jamie glanced at Harry, who lowered his head. Perhaps he was conscious of Jamie’s gaze, he slightly turned his lowered head to the other side.

“ruler. Let’s do better in the second half. Brian spreads it a little further. I mean use the space.”

“Yep.”

“Jamie. Keep an eye on the left side. Conversely, when Jamie wants to catch the ball, Brian just jumps left. Okay?”

After the meaningless operation instructions were over, the players went out to the stadium.

Unlike before the first half, it does not take long for the whistle to blow in the second half. So Jamie walked right over to Mikel.

“Michelle.”

A giant almost two meters tall.

But apart from that, there is nothing, the telephone pole itself.

“Huh? lee?”

When the freshman suddenly spoke up, Mikel flinched and replied.

“Just don’t wait for Cross. If I get a chance, I’ll upload it to the roving right away. So, when I cross the half line, I jump right into the penalty box.”

“…”

Got it? Jamie looked up at him suspiciously.

“I understand?”

“···understood.”

I don’t know if I understand you right. Jamie shook his head and went to his seat.

**

The second half has begun.

“Go up! Go higher!”

“Keep ownership!”

It may have been 5 minutes since it started. Overshadowing the anxious cries of the manager and coaching staff, Stoke began to be pushed back in earnest. Even though Port Vale was winning, they chose a strategy that put more emphasis on strong forward pressure and attack.

Jamie broke the opponent’s pass several times in front of the penalty box. However, the team as a whole was in a state of shrinking, so there was no place to give a pass.

Finally, a back pass to the defense. The defenders exchanged meaningless passes with each other and lost possession. And so, the attack of Port Vale again. This pattern kept repeating itself.

‘If it’s frustrating, I should do it.’

Jamie made up his mind.

‘I carry it myself. I don’t think it’s difficult.’

Shortly after making that decision, a Stoke defender picked up a loose ball.

“Hey.”

Jamie quickly raised his hand to his colleague.

Fortunately, the teammate passed right away, and Jamie moved forward as soon as he received the ball.

However, after taking a few steps, he was surrounded by two Port Vale players. They seemed to already know that Jamie was the only player to carry the ball to Stoke.

One of them actively pushed himself in.

Of course, Jamie was not taken aback. Touching the ball as an outsider, the opposing player changed direction in the opposite direction.

Another player immediately blocked his front. Jamie was not taken aback. This time, after pulling the ball toward her body, she rotated her body half a turn and left the mark.

In an instant, the pressure of the two was shaken off, but there were still quite a few defenses in front.

‘It’s impossible to pierce that.’

The other players watching him, as well as the person in charge, Jamie, thought so.

Nonetheless, Jamie moved on.

Tok, tok.

With light steps, as if going for a walk.

‘What is it, are you really trying to pierce alone?’

With a confident attitude, as if he would break through all alone like Messi.

Eventually, several players who hesitated and guarded the penalty box came forward to press.

‘Now.’

Mikel seemed to have narrowly crossed the offside line.

Without hesitation, Jamie launched the ball towards his head.

Sometimes, when the ball flies in a beautiful trajectory, the scene looks like slow motion.

Jamie’s roving pass was just like that.

In the eyes of Jamie, the person in charge, Mikel receiving the pass, and the other players who were away from him, the ball seemed to be flying very slowly.

Of course, it seemed like that at the moment, but the ball actually flew at the right speed and flew right over Mikel’s head.

‘If I can’t even put that in, I’ll have to retire.’

Fortunately, Mikel wasn’t ready to retire just yet.

Charrr. The opposing goalkeeper couldn’t even use his hands, and the ball quickly spun into the net.

Hey hey-!

Immediately, the Stoke home fans let out a thunderous roar.

“Li-yi! nice! hahahaha!”

Director Charlie Adam, who was watching this, also cheered loudly.

‘It’s nice to hear.’

Hearing that, Jamie raised his thumb at Mikel. Mikel also ran up to him with a bright expression and a thumbs up.

‘This is the beginning.’

There are still 40 minutes left until the end of the match.

Jamie was thinking of aiming for a come-from-behind game beyond the tie.

For the team, for the fans, and for Hannah.