Romantic on the Field

6.

Two days later, Stoke City FC training ground.

After team training, I was about to return home (I was living at my father’s house temporarily), but I ran into Brian, who was doing individual training at the auxiliary training ground.

Of course, Jamie had no intention of pretending to know.

Only have essential conversations with your teammates.

If you need to have a conversation, just act like your natural personality.

That was Jamie’s iron rule, not his iron rule.

Why do I? Even at Real Madrid, it was Dokgo die. He just moved quickly with an expression as if he were saying that.

“lee.”

However, Brian has been pretending to know first.

The distance was too close to pretend not to hear.

“Brian.”

Jamie replied with a sigh.

“Thank you for the last match.”

“what.”

“You scored a goal thanks to your pass. No, it wasn’t just passing. He even advised me to dig into the backspace. ha ha ha.”

Brian burst out laughing to himself, but stopped laughing when he checked Jamie’s expressionless face.

“I heard that he gave advice to Mikel as well. where did you learn that You are too young.”

“Aren’t you just like me?”

Jamie frowned, wondering if he was quarreling.

“So! You’re similar to me, but you feel like you have a lot of experience. Did you learn it in Augsburg? The Bundesliga is definitely something different.”

I learned from Augsburg, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

He couldn’t have said that, so Jamie decided to evade it.

“It’s innate.”

“…that, is that so?”

Brian Lecca.

Belarusian mixed-race Manchester United youth player.

At one time, it was highly anticipated, but it was a life that was spinning around for rentals as it did not grow as much as expected. Now also a situation on loan to Stoke City-an exceptionally long-term lease contract for 2 years.

He later returns to the Premier League, but has not been very impressive.

“Are you practicing your free kick?”

“uh? uh uh The director would hate it if he heard it.”

“Why?”

“hahahaha. The director told me to develop my physical skills.”

To put it mildly, Brian was a no-brainer. Still, there was only one reason why Jamie remembered him.

Natural kicking power.

Skills, dribbling, passing, physical. All parts were ambiguous, but kicking power alone was one of the best in the Premier League.

‘I can understand why I didn’t grow as much as I expected.’

Jamie let out an internal sigh.

Strengths should be maintained and weaknesses should be compensated for. It was a very obvious statement, but whether or not it could actually be done was a separate issue.

“Just keep practicing free kicks. No, practice shooting rather than free kicks.”

I’m going to take the free kick anyway. Jamie added inwardly.

“uh? The director told me to grow physically.”

“Well, it’s your freedom to listen to the director like a good kid. But if you’re like me, I’ll hone in on what I’m good at while spending the time I spend on useless things.”

It was a lie.

To be exact, it was only half true and half lie.

First of all, at this point, Jamie didn’t need to further polish the things he was good at. because it’s already finished.

“Shouldn’t we make up for what we lack?”

“I have to do what can be supplemented.”

Currently, Jamie lacks two things. Just heading and stamina.

He had already given up on heading, and was thinking of making up for his lack of stamina.

“But there is a limit to making up for what you can’t do. It might be better to focus on what you are good at.”

“What am I good at?”

What, this baby. Don’t you know what Ji is good at? I didn’t intend to smoke, but I was so stupid that I decided to give it a lesson in the end.

“What do you think Stoke City needs right now?”

“···All?”

“right. But if I had to pick two things I needed right away, it would be a pass and a shot.”

It may sound like an obvious story, but it was clearly true.

Stoke City is a team that plays bold football.

However, for this to work, you must be able to send the ball to the front striker first. Also, you must be able to succeed in a few opportunities.

Right now, Stoke City have not done either of these things properly.

“And you have it. kick force. That’s your strength.”

“…”

Brian just stood there blankly and didn’t answer.

Jamie shook his head and left the training ground. He gave me quite heartfelt advice that didn’t match his arrogant personality. If the other party didn’t accept it, there was nothing special. There were also things I didn’t want to spend my energy on for nothing.

I’ve been so busy these past few days. I had a sign-up interview, a sign-up ceremony, and other club schedules and wedding preparations.

Tomorrow I’ll be busy with work again – there was a league game, but I just wanted to go home early and rest.

Whoops.

[Are you done training? ]

But as soon as I saw Hannah’s message, I changed my mind.

[ yes. Shall we meet? ]

**

The meeting place was Longton Park.

‘It’s been a while.’

Feelings were a new place for Jamie.

Shortly after arriving in England, Jamie, who had difficulty adjusting, spent time alone in Longton Park, close to where he lived at the time. To be precise, I practiced trapping alone.

I wanted to do it at the youth training ground, but I had no choice but to do it here because Stoke City strictly restricts personal training for youth players.

“Are you Korean too?”

It was here that I first met Hannah.

As a child, Jamie was no more sociable than he is now. Therefore, when a girl he hadn’t seen before started talking to him, he finished his trapping practice without answering or giving a glance.

“You say you don’t have any friends?”

He didn’t even pay attention to the rather provocative question.

“You say you don’t have a mother?”

However, I had no choice but to react to the next words.

swish He turned his head and glared at the girl with an angry gaze.

“Neither do I.”

“…either one.”

“both.”

I reacted with anger, but I didn’t really want to talk further. Jamie ignored her again and immersed himself in trapping practice. But Hannah didn’t care and continued talking. Even the next day, and the day after that, I would come to Longton Park to watch him practice trapping and talk to myself.

Should the park be moved? Just when I was thinking about that, Hanna suddenly threw a soccer ball at him.

“Do this. It’s expensive.”

“Why are you giving me this? Poor?”

“I want to be friends.”

It’s not true until later, but Hannah accidentally saw Jamie training and fell in love with her at first sight. He’s a Korean like you, but he said he was attracted to blue eyes.

“I’m sure the girls are fast.”

As we walked through Longton Park together, the grown-up Jamie asked the grown-up Hannah.

“yes?”

“I was a girl and Nabal at the time and had no interest in it. But Hannah already felt the feelings of love from then on.”

“Uh ha ha ha. Rather, isn’t it just a different disposition?”

“tendency?”

“yes. He has the tendency to dig inward by himself when he is in trouble, and I have the tendency to look outward.”

When I heard it, it seemed right. Jamie nodded.

“Oh, didn’t you call your dad?”

“Communication? To your father-in-law?”

“‘yes. Looks like you didn’t come what the.”

Jamie looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“No, since yesterday I’ve only been talking about myself. He just captured and sent it to me as to how he found an article on the internet that didn’t come up even after searching.”

“… your father-in-law?”

“yes. He said he should give him a bonus or something, uh. How much fuss you made. Anyone who sees it will think that Dad is marrying him, not me.”

“ha ha ha.”

Did the father-in-law have such a personality? The unexpected appearance made me laugh out loud.

“I guess I didn’t send it because we’re going to meet the day after tomorrow anyway. Be careful. I will be very nervous when I meet you.”

Is it really so? Although he likes to joke, he doesn’t seem to have a shy personality.

I was curious, but I didn’t bother to ask.

Although things were better than in his previous life, he was more likely to disapprove of Jamie as a father. No, it was just an undesirable factor.

Even so, he looked good on him, so Jamie was just grateful.

“Tomorrow is an expedition, right?”

“‘yes. Barnsley.”

Barnsley FC. A team that was narrowly relegated to League One last season after being in the Championship for several years.

As such, the objective power could be said to be much better than Stoke City, and the ace among them was striker ‘Ivan Ward’. He was currently the top scorer along with Port Vale’s Nathan.

“…it won’t be easy.”

“right.”

“ah! sorry. You said something useless Don’t worry too much! You will be fine!”

“hahahaha. Don’t worry.”

Jamie burst into laughter again.

**

The next day, Barnsley FC’s home ground, Oakwell.

Jamie was included in the starting list.

“It is a counterattack after the player’s defense. Just remember this.”

Director Charlie Adam said one mana one day today.

However, there were quite a few changes to the starting lineup.

Instead of removing Mikel, who was practically no different from a telephone pole, he raised Jamie to a position closer to the top. Also, midfielder Harry Harris was placed almost on the same line as Santabaek.

It was a special measure to calm the defensive anxiety that was pointed out as Stoke’s chronic disease, and the risk factor called ‘Iban’.

“let’s go.”

“Stoke, stoke!”

However, the tactics that director Charlie Adam ambitiously prepared were overshadowed, and the ‘reverse attack’ began to be beaten to the point where it was impossible at all.

“stick! Mark tighter!”

“Brian! What if it comes down to the penalty box!”

Coach Charlie and Coach Nick screamed loudly, but to no avail.

Throughout the first half, Barnsley’s ace ‘Ivan’ allowed shots.

Same now.

“lee! what are you doing. Mark Jenkins!”

Ivan’s shot was barely cleared by the goalkeeper, followed by Barnsley’s corner kick attack.

Jamie settled down at the close post to mark central midfielder Jenkins, who is over 180cm tall as he trained yesterday.

‘No, you should use me for a counterattack…”

Jamie was reluctant to participate in corner kick defense.

He has never preferred aerial competitions. It was because he was not very good at heading, and he got injured while playing in the air with an opposing defender during his youth days.

However, it was not possible to blindly reject the director’s instructions. With his hand on the post, he watched Jenkins, the target of the mark.

‘Well?’

Jamie noticed something and frowned.

Harry Harris was marking the opposing defender with a confused expression, or more accurately, an expression of lack of confidence.

yes. That kid didn’t like headers either. The moment I thought about it, Barnsley’s corner kick came up.

Unfortunately for Jamie, the corner kick went straight to the head of his mark player, Jenkins.

‘Ah-oh!’

Jamie jumped as hard as he could. The ball deflected past Jamie’s head before reaching Jenkins.

‘A loose ball?’

I quickly checked the ball’s whereabouts.

Fortunately, the ball flew towards Stoke’s Harry Harris.

The angle was a bit ambiguous, but not to the point where I couldn’t head it. Harry threw himself and kicked the ball away with his head.

No, I was trying to pull it off.

‘uh?’

The ball hit Harry’s head and hit the top right corner of Stoke’s goal. It was such a perfect goal that Yashin could not stop it even if he came back alive.

This, this-yes!

A beat later, Barnsley fans cheered.

“…”

The Barnsley players went back to their camps with joy, while the Stoke players said nothing.

The same goes for Harry, who scored an own goal. He was sitting on the floor, staring blankly into space.

“Okay, it’s okay. We can put it in too.”

Brian came over and comforted Harry. Unfortunately, Harry sat still, as if no comfort had come.

Big mistakes make people dumb. And it persistently lingers in my head and ruins the rest of the game.

Knowing this well, Jamie decided to play the villain for the team.

“What, why are you kicking the ball into the goal? Is your head triangular?”

“…?”

Harry blankly turned his head.

“No matter how much I envy me scoring goals. What if we put it in our goal?”

“What, the fuck?”

Harry jumped up from his seat.

Jamie let out a big smile as if mocking him.

“Don’t try to make up for your mistakes, just play as you normally would.”

Then he added a word, slapping Harry on the shoulder.

“Because I can score the goal.”

It was an act that could not have been done without confidence in one’s own skills.

Of course, Jamie was confident.

And he did, in fact.