August 12th, night. Entrance of the Sheffield United training base.
A bus emblazoned with the team logo slowly drove in, carrying a group of Sheffield players and coaching staff with dejected expressions, looking every bit like a defeated army.
Around them, over two hundred angry local fans had already gathered, and they immediately swarmed the bus as soon as it appeared.
"Playing like this with a full squad, Kevin, what exactly are you doing?"
"Are we going back to EFL League One this season? Kevin, give us an explanation! Or just go home!"
"If you don't have the ability, step down from that position early!"
"Sack him! Sack him!!"
"..."
They pointed at the team bus with righteous indignation, venting their dissatisfaction.
Many people even threw water bottles and hot dogs at the bus, creating a cacophony of 'bangs' and 'clatters'.
Many people on the bus quickly pulled down the curtains, not daring or perhaps too ashamed to face the angry fans.
After a slow drive, the bus finally entered the training base's parking lot, while the fans were blocked outside by the arriving police.
The players got off the bus one after another, without any communication, and drove home in their own cars from the parking lot.
The coaching staff members followed, standing in a circle with their hands on their hips or heads lowered, wanting to discuss something, but unable to speak.
After a long silence, head coach Kevin finally broke the silence, his face heavy: "I'm over fifty years old, and I've been in this industry for so many years, I'm really tired."
"Last year was the most striving year of my life, but everyone has seen the final result. I gave everything, but the result was not satisfactory, and I messed up the team."
After a pause, he lowered his head and confessed everything, "Yes, as you think, my contract does not have any requirements regarding performance. If the team unilaterally terminates my contract, they need to pay me compensation."
"Staying in this position is not because I want to fight the players to the end, not because I want to prove myself, but just to get the money to live comfortably in my old age."
"But you have also seen that the board of directors is still stalling with me, they want to wait until I lose face and take the initiative to propose termination."
"I'll talk to the board of directors." A voice rang out, and everyone turned to look, finding that it was Gareth Speed who had taken up the conversation.
At this time, he shouldn't have appeared so eager, because everyone had already assumed that he was the successor.
But he still said it, this was the first time he had talked to Kevin about this topic in person.
"Give me a week or two, and I'm confident I can convince them."
Gareth Speed looked directly at Kevin, directly at this old man he hated so much, "But please promise me two requests."
"What?"
Kevin's expression was calm, and his mood was unreadable, "I don't have any conflicts with you, as long as I can, I will try my best to agree."
"Add 4-4-2 formation training to the daily training."
Gareth Speed seriously stated the first request, the meaning was obvious, he wanted to change the formation after he took office.
He wasn't worried about Kevin's training level, coaches who came out of the British professional system were definitely very familiar with the traditional 4-4-2 formation.
"Okay, what else?" Kevin still had no expression, nodding in agreement to this request.
"In the following games, use Maël and Gilbert."
Gareth Speed said the second request, causing the people next to him to look sideways, "The team will definitely need them later, I want them to adapt to professional leagues as soon as possible and accumulate EFL Championship experience."
Kevin turned his head away, considered for a while, and finally took a deep breath and said: "I agree to all your requests, and I also ask you to fulfill your promise to me."
"Definitely."
Gareth Speed left a sentence and turned to leave.
The remaining assistant coaches glanced at Kevin, their moods very complicated, they hadn't figured out where they were going.
August 13th, one day before the second round of the EFL Championship, away against Cardiff City.
Morning, inside the training base gym.
Maël arrived early, drank a glass of water, and started his weight training.
Gilbert didn't come with him to train strength; he wanted to do some stamina training today.
"Maël! Maël!"
After training for only a few minutes, Maël heard a hurried voice coming from outside the door, growing louder as it approached, accompanied by the sound of quick footsteps.
Gilbert quickly ran in, his expression excited.
"Is it..."
Maël didn't have high hopes, but looking at his expression, he had a guess in his mind, "We're on the squad list?"
This morning was when the squad list would be announced. The players needed to be ready in the morning, depart around noon, and then have a practice session at the away stadium in the evening.
He hadn't paid attention, mainly because he didn't believe Kevin could suddenly change his mind.
"Squad list?"
Gilbert was extremely excited, a little incoherent, "Starting lineup! What squad list! You're in the starting lineup!"
"Me?"
Maël pointed at himself, then opened his mouth, quickly walked up to Gilbert, subconsciously clenched his hands, and said with a trembling voice, "Really?"
From the other person's face, he had already seen the answer. This kind of expression couldn't be faked.
Two minutes later, the two ran to the locker room of the team's training base, and saw the squad list for today's match at the entrance.
"Starting lineup... Center forward Evans, right winger Ward, left winger Maël."
Seeing his name, Maël suddenly felt a bit unreal, as if the list in front of him was twisting, everything suddenly shattering, and then reassembling.
Suddenly, he had directly become the team's starting player?
Skipping the substitute career and directly ushering in the starting lineup? Although I'm not starting, I can still experience the EFL Championship league on the field for the first time.
Gilbert next to him smiled happily, both happy for Maël and for himself, "Go for it, if you can get a goal in the EFL Championship league, then everything will be different."
"The coaching staff's way of doing things is really unpredictable."
Maël said calmly, but he couldn't hide his joy, and his calves trembled slightly.
He had been longing for this day for a long time.
...
At one o'clock in the afternoon, Maël tidied himself up and boarded the team bus, heading towards Cardiff City in Cardiff.
Along the way, he was filled with excitement and didn't close his eyes for a moment.
The street scenes and buildings flashing past the roadside seemed to turn into cheering and clapping fans, encouraging him and celebrating for him.
The first time is always wonderful.
...
Around four thirty, they arrived at their destination, checked into the hotel, and had something to eat.
At seven o'clock in the evening, Maël followed his teammates to the Cardiff City Stadium for a warm-up training session.
This was the first time he had walked onto the grass inside a large stadium. Under his feet was soft turf, and the air was filled with the smell of water mist.
The light from dozens of large lamps shone on his face, giving him a sense of being in another world, but he subconsciously straightened his back and raised his chest.
He was finally going to stand on this field! This was destined to be a sleepless night, countless thoughts bursting out of his mind, making him laugh sometimes and take deep breaths nervously at other times.
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