Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Start (1)
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Black-Haired Tactical Genius
Chapter 138: Start (1)
August 3rd.
Bolton University first-team training ground.
“Up we gooo—!”
A man outside the touchline, his hair slicked back with a headband, bellowed.
At his shout, Gary Todd kicked off from the field and charged forward.
Even as he did, he glanced back.
Thwack—!
Just then, Owen Pressaiss from Team B lofted a pass, but Dominic Shield, the 2-meter tall center-back for Team A, leaped up and headed it away.
“You fucking idiot...!”
Adebayor, who had just been sprinting past Shield’s right side, spat a curse under his breath and came to a halt.
But it was too late to apply pressure.
Thud—!
Shield had nodded the ball down about a meter in front of him, then struck it cleanly with the instep of his right foot before it could bounce twice.
‘It’s coming...!’
At that moment, Todd, who had just reached the center circle, lit up.
In his widened pupils, the ball sliced across the field toward his feet in slow motion.
Thud—!
As the ball grazed past him, Todd struck it again with his instep, accelerating it forward.
“Mine!”
Almost simultaneously, David Dignity, the Team B captain, yelled and threw himself at Todd from the left flank, slamming into him with full force.
Wham—!
“Guh!”
But the pained groan came not from Todd, but from Dignity.
For an instant, Dignity felt like he’d crashed into a wall.
‘What the hell...! My bones are ringing...!’
Just like in the previous practice sessions, the impact was beyond imagination, shaking both his pupils.
He’d thrown his shoulder in without holding back, yet the one staggering back was none other than himself.
Meanwhile, Todd stumbled to the right but managed to regain his balance quicker, lofting the ball long.
Thoom—!
Before Dignity could steady himself, Todd had burst into a sprint, opening up a gap of more than two steps.
‘A monster.’
Dignity stuck out his tongue at the overwhelming physicality, just like in the recent friendlies and training.
But that was as far as it went.
Tap—!
The moment Todd crossed the halfway line—like an enraged bull charging—he suddenly slowed to a crawl.
Not stopping there, he seemed to hesitate before dropping a back pass.
At the same time, Todd glanced around cautiously.
‘What’s he gonna say...?’
Since returning from injury, Todd’s back passes had become unusually frequent.
The moment he crossed the halfway line, his field of vision narrowed dramatically.
The tension doubled.
Back at Man United, the manager hadn’t wanted him dropping into the defensive zone at all.
The youth coach clung to rigid tactics: defenders defend, attackers attack.
Yet he’d been rated the best at youth level because, within that level, he was the perfect all-rounder.
[Gary Todd! Manchester United’s future sweeping the entire field!]
[Gary Todd! Top activity across both teams!]
[Todd! Most shots across both teams! Most cuts and clearances...!]
But after returning from injury, everything flipped 180 degrees.
The sudden increase in back passes earned him daily scoldings.
He couldn’t even get shot chances anymore, relegated to warming the bench.
Even the coaches criticized him.
‘The striker keeps dropping too deep.’
‘He avoids challenges up top entirely... not good.’
‘Why come back at all? If you’re gonna drop and then go forward, just keep pushing. What’s with those deflating back passes in midfield?’
Amid the constant criticism, his confidence eroded further.
In truth, Todd was simply terrified of crossing that halfway line.
The sports psychologists diagnosed it as a mental illness.
But Bolton was different.
“Gary, you idiot! You went too far up.”
Ma Jeong-woo, the manager who’d just shouted from outside the touchline, furrowed his brow slightly and muttered.
Todd couldn’t help but be flustered.
He’d already been puzzled about being deployed as a sweeper instead of a striker.
On the other hand, he felt some relief.
Lately, playing as a striker up top after his injury had weighed on him heavily.
So trying something new as a defender didn’t seem so bad.
He’d never been picky about positions anyway.
But through recent training, Todd was discovering differences from his Man United days.
“Gary, you can just hang around in the defensive zone. Why keep charging out like that? Take it easy, man.”
Unlike the Man United staff, Ma Jeong-woo was telling him not to overdo it—instead, encouraging him.
It wasn’t just training sessions.
Even in preseason against opponents, Ma Jeong-woo had stopped him several times from crossing the halfway line.
‘Hold your position!’
‘Jeez, I said don’t go up.’
‘You little rebel? Or are your brain and feet not connected?’
Even in long-ball situations from their defensive zone, it was the same.
‘Don’t think about heading it clear—look for space.’
‘Hey, Todd. There’s Dominic and the other defenders for aerial duels.’
The role Ma Jeong-woo assigned him was sweeper.
A free role, positioned behind a flat back four or three at the back.
Sometimes joining the defense for cooperative play, other times initiating attacks.
Basically a cleanup man organizing from the back line, but Ma Jeong-woo’s instructions were a bit different.
Even now, with the practice match in full swing, Ma Jeong-woo strolled casually outside the touchline and shouted.
“Gary! Don’t man-mark anyone. Just lurk behind the back four and dash forward when you see space.”
The funny thing was, following that felt surprisingly comfortable.
Thoom—!
Just now, the tall center-backs behind him headed the ball clear and stabbed a straight pass toward where he was running.
Thoom—!
In that instant, Todd transformed into an unstoppable tank up to the halfway line.
Sometimes, before even reaching it, he spotted passing lanes to the forwards.
Attackers like Chong-a Pak, Sensuous Ruff were constantly moving, creating pocket zones.
Ma Jeong-woo said more.
For balls coming knee-height or lower—not aerial—always dive in for interceptions.
“That kid’s definitely coming alive compared to the first time.”
Ma Jeong-woo watched the players running nonstop, a satisfied smile on his face.
He focused especially on Gary Todd.
Whenever Todd muscled the ball forward, most players couldn’t handle him one-on-one.
“Onion peel.”
It really peeled away like onion layers.
Even Dignity, with his solid physique, got shoved aside.
Of course, the issue was that this only happened within their own half.
But Ma Jeong-woo didn’t mind for now.
Instead, he chuckled softly at Todd repeatedly halting just before the halfway line.
“He could be the best bodyguard for a while.”
* * *
Fulham had been relegated to the Championship after the 2013-2014 season, then yo-yoed between promotion and relegation to the EPL several times.
The 2018-2019 season was no different.
Finishing 19th, they’d been relegated back to the Championship after just one EPL season.
They promoted again for 2019-2020, but the next season, they tasted relegation again at 18th.
Thus, Fulham had become the Championship’s doormat for the last two seasons.
To turn things around, they’d brought in Marco Silva as the new manager.
The Portuguese coach was currently on the phone with someone, his expression somewhat bright.
“Thanks to you. I’m grateful for the partnership agreement already, but sending two loanees...”
Fulham had recently ramped up squad building.
They’d spent 30 million pounds (about 60 billion KRW) on transfers alone.
That showed how desperate they were for promotion.
But lately, Fulham’s supporters—the Cottagers—were saying the same thing in unison.
They were more excited about the loanees than the permanent signings.
Marco Silva felt the same.
“It’s no different from sharing talent who’s the best now and in the future for a season.”
A kind voice promptly came through the phone speaker.
(We judged Fulham the best place for our players’ growth. Haha.)
“We’ll live up to expectations.”
(Just follow the pre-agreed guidelines and develop our players well. Get promoted to the EPL soon.)
Silva continued chatting with the person on the phone for quite a while after.
Finally, the call ended, and Silva walked to his executive chair, sitting down slowly.
“Hmm, looks like the rumors are true.”
Staring at his phone, Silva narrowed his eyes.
“Solskjær pressuring Bolton...”
The rumor had spread not just in the media, but among fans too.
You could tell from the ongoing interference in player transfers.
And Silva’s conversation partner was none other than Solskjær.
“Relations between the two clubs are definitely souring over time.”
Silva had seen it clearly since last season.
Bolton pulling off two giant killings against Man United.
What came after had even more impact.
Ma, Bolton’s manager and owner, had erected a Man United tombstone right in Bolton Stadium.
Since then, Man United pundits and Bolton ones ripped into each other on air.
If that was all, it’d just be a local derby vibe.
Of course, Solskjær hadn’t mentioned Bolton directly in the call.
But Silva could sense it.
“You can tell just from them loaning us players.”
It wasn’t just Fulham.
Man United, mimicking Chelsea’s youth policy, had sent several reserve and youth players on loan to Championship sides.
Thanks to that, Fulham easily secured two top talents.
Amad Diallo, valued at 37 million pounds (about 60 billion KRW), and Teden Mengi, worth 30 million pounds (about 48 billion KRW).
By raw value, they ranked in the Championship’s top ten.
* * *
With the league opener approaching, Bolton announced their Championship squad for the season.
<Forwards>:
1. Chong-a Pak (24), (LF, ST, LW)
2. Slow Bulky (27), (ST)
3. Emmanuel Adebayor (39), (ST)
4. Shearer Kane (20), (ST, RF, LF)
5. Sensuous Ruff (27), (ST)
<5>
<Midfielders>:
1. Aaron Lepid (24), (RW, RM)
2. Owen Pressaiss (22), (CAM, CM)
3. David Dignity (28), (CDM, CM)
4. Frank Gerrard (19), (CM, CAM, CDM) (Man City loanee)
5. Ethan Roberi (17), (LW, LM) (Man City loanee)
6. Quick Floyd (25), (CM, CAM, CB)
7. Dennis Ro (25) (CM)
<7>
<Defenders>:
1. Dominic Shield (24), (CB)
2. Dennis Slip (21), (CB)
3. Joel Bix (22), (CB)
4. Morten Pedersen (26), (LB, LW)
5. Delicate (24), (CB, RB)
6. Gary Todd (18), (CB, SW, ST...)
7. David Chance (24) (RB)
8. Rudy Torres (25) (LB)
<8>
<Goalkeepers>:
Daniel Screech (25)
Jacob Bulls (26)
Gavin Bajuno (20) (Man City loanee) (Ireland international)
<3>
Total <23>