Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: League 30th Round (5)
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Thank you!
From Third-Rate Coach to Genius Manager!
Chapter 24: League 30th Round (5)
[<Horwich> Bolton Wanderers! 3-0 decisive victory in the derby against Rochdale!]
[<Kiersley> Bolton's attacking tactics dominate 70% possession!]
[<Blackroad> Club owner Ma! Leaves massive impact on fans in first managerial debut...!]
The press was in a frenzy right after the match.
"Insane, absolutely insane!"
The journalists who had watched the game to the end from the press box had flushed faces.
Aaron, a local Horwich reporter, was ecstatic, wriggling in his seat.
"A 3-0 win over Rochdale...!"
It was an unbelievable moment for him.
Though a Wanderers fan, he had actually hoped the team would lose today's game.
The rookie club owner with zero coaching experience had taken the reins, after all.
So he figured it would be better to lose early and bring in a proper manager.
"They actually won."
One fellow Citizens' District reporter beside him muttered in disbelief.
He too kept staring at the scoreboard, unable to believe it.
Aaron rubbed his pounding chest and scanned the pitch.
Then he stopped at one spot.
Club owner Ma Jeong-woo was applauding nonstop along with the players to the ecstatic fans who wouldn't stop cheering.
"I thought he was just some blockhead before the game..."
Not just the score—the performance itself was exhilarating.
Now even Jeong-woo looked impressive.
It wasn't a win you could chalk up to the opponents taking them lightly.
"They got complacent. Rochdale got complacent!"
The reporter from the Rochdale local paper insisted with a grim face, refusing to accept the loss.
Aaron chuckled and shook his head.
"Complacent my ass..."
Even if they had, Bolton had fielded most of their starters today.
They had faced Rochdale with their backups.
Even accounting for luck..., Aaron's eyes toward Jeong-woo brimmed with anticipation.
"He's got some chops."
The fans who had been trash-talking the owner like he was the enemy before kickoff were all roaring in cheers now.
After just one game.
* * *
Reactions on the Bolton community sites exploded.
- : What a gut-punch of a performance!
- : Man, never thought I'd see Bolton pressing relentlessly in the opponent's half.
_ : Fits the owner's personality. Just bulldozed straight ahead.
- : Owner's tactics seem pretty solid...? Winning the derby is a pass in my book!
- : Prodigy Park, that kid was crazy fast. Felt like watching Tottenham's Son Heung-min...! Are all Korean Parks soccer geniuses? Park Ji-yong, Park Ji-song...!
: Horwich local stats say Park hit a top sprint speed of 36.4 km/h today...? That's legit up there with Mbappé levels for speed.
Of course, some still looked on sourly.
- : New manager bump always gets you one or two wins.
: Facts. It's the rule.
- : Plus Rochdale... was on a downturn. No wins in last three, benched a ton of starters or left 'em out of the squad entirely.
- : Lucky to bag two goals. Prodigy Park I saw couldn't dribble, wasted a bunch of chances..., fast trash is all he is.
* * *
Two days flew by.
Jeong-woo had given the squad a day off after the mood-boosting first win.
And today...,
"Huff, huff, huff, huff!"
The players, savoring the sweet rest, dove into high-intensity training from the morning after reporting to the pitch.
If Derek Scott had been obsessed with a three-back, Jeong-woo prioritized stamina.
"Haaack, haaack, haaack...!"
David Dignity, named captain under Jeong-woo's regime, kept his feet moving nonstop but looked puzzled.
"Man...! Haaack! How long we gotta keep doing just this...?!"
As he said, six players from the combined A and B teams formed a huge circle, endlessly passing the ball while constantly shifting positions.
Inside, the three-man C team chased desperately to win it back.
Switch upon recovery.
"No tactical drills at all?"
Dignity and Delicate, who had started for Jeong-woo's first game against Rochdale, were starting to get annoyed.
They had been at this for two hours straight already.
The Rochdale win was impressive, sure, but one game didn't build rock-solid trust in the manager.
Quick Floyd, who had shone in that match, felt much the same.
Thud-!
As the ball came inside, he immediately chipped it out with a left-footed outfront step.
Almost simultaneously, a C team player lunged studs-first at where the ball had been.
Then,
Thud-!
Floyd lofted a forward pass to Dignity farther out.
Relieved it wasn't intercepted, he still grimaced.
"If it's king's game, own it—why stick an extra guy in the middle..!"
That extra was Quick Floyd.
Five formed the circle around the three C players, with him slotted right in the middle.
Making it even more demanding than standard king's game.
At the touchline,
"They look beat to hell."
Park Hee-won squinted against the blinding sun and muttered.
Jeong-woo, unfazed, watched contentedly as they played king's game in groups of three, spreading wide across the pitch.
"It's supposed to make 'em tired."
The reason was simple.
Jeong-woo continued, legs crossed on the bench.
"Bolton's organization is sorely lacking—way too lacking. So we're boosting that, plus endurance, strength, and speed all at once."
For that, simple king's game was tops.
The wider the spacing, the more ground they covered inevitably.
Plus, Jeong-woo added one rule.
No one-touch passes—two touches, sometimes three before linking.
Just holding possession longer built ball familiarity.
Stamina was the bonus.
He even positioned them by role.
Center-backs with anchors, wing-backs, etc.
Clumping those who cooperate most in real games.
"Sticking one in the middle builds handling pressure in the heart of the opponent's half."
Jeong-woo sipped iced tea with floating ice from the cafeteria and muttered casually.
"Every squad needs at least one clutch player. That's how one guy can flip a losing game.... Damn, better scout one quick."
Clutch meant a game-changer on their own.
Usually elite dribblers.
"Floyd's dribbling screams clutch, but..."
Decision-making and other skills fell short, so team play mattered more than ever.
Jeong-woo slurped his iced tea through the straw and raised one brow.
"Time to grind together and cover each other's weaknesses."
He didn't skip realistic must-haves either.
"Park, you know this league's way rougher than K-3. Ref barely whistles for most fouls."
At the penalty arc, Park—drenched in sweat like post-shower—nodded at Jeong-woo's serious words.
He had felt it body-first against Rochdale.
Even surefire fouls in K-3 went uncalled.
And it was brutal.
Jeong-woo furrowed his brow hard.
"They don't call physical stuff unless it's egregious. Instep, ankle, shin..., gotta get kicked there for a whistle. And..., you'll draw more checks than most going forward."
Dribblers and sprinters always do.
Just look at PSG's Kylian Mbappé.
"See Mbappé. They can't catch him, so they foul him down before he even reaches the box. One bad hit and boom—injury."
"Right."
"That's what we're preventing early. So...,"
Jeong-woo trailed off and placed a hand on Park's shoulder.
The heavy feel sobered Park instantly.
Squeeze-!
Jeong-woo gripped harder.
"Time to learn deception tactics."
He was about to teach a key drill for beating fouls.
Park felt quiet excitement bubble up.
'The boss..., I can trust him!'
Just two real games under Jeong-woo's guidance, but results were perfect.
Jeong-woo met Park's eager eyes straight on.
"This is exactly the option you need most."
Park asked, thrilled.
"Deception tactics—like feints?"
"Exactly! Time for Hollywood acting lessons."
"...Pardon?"
"Protect yourself like Neymar. Plus, build diving as an extra attacking tool. Two birds, one stone, right?"
Feints were feints.
* * *
Hours later.
First debut as manager: success. But work piled sky-high.
As club owner.
"Marketing, strategic planning, stadium amenities..., six staff gone in the last two months."
Jeong-woo pressed his throbbing brow with an index finger at the HR manager's report.
"Critical right now?"
"Marketing's complaining of burnout from shortages..., convenience store staff requesting backups too."
A few had quit in disappointment with Bolton.
This started before Jeong-woo took over.
"Hmm."
Jeong-woo pondered, dark circles under his eyes.
'Posted recruitment notices, but...'
Urgent.
Also ridiculous.
'Having to worry about staffing shortages too.'
Silver lining: no one had walked out on their own in the last two weeks.
Though Jeong-woo had fired some.
Right then.
Knock knock!
The familiar knock made Jeong-woo smooth his furrowed brow into a grin.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing a cheeky brown-haired boy in his early teens.
He cradled a face-sized flowerpot in both hands.
"Hey, Mr. Owner?"
"Nicky. You've shot up even more, huh?"
"Another full centimeter!"
"Whoa...! You'll tower over me soon."
Nicky was the son of Thompson from facilities management.
Thompson was the classic English club staffer—deeply attached, long-timer.
Nicky followed Dad into fandom, generation after generation.
Errands at his favorite club taught him the club's history while having fun.
Thompson's request.
Even midweek, give the kid small tasks to learn about Bolton.
Jeong-woo happily agreed.
So Nicky was here to place a new flowerpot in the owner's office.
And...,
Jeong-woo stared at Nicky's bright face and parted his lips slightly.
'Oh, jackpot.'
A brilliant idea hit.
Now grinning slyly, Jeong-woo muttered.
"Yeah. In a world where they pay kids to harvest potatoes or pick strawberries as 'experiences' or whatever."
HR manager's puzzled look be damned—Jeong-woo added with sparkling eyes.
"Lottery's the way."
"...Pardon?"
Have a great day~
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