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Chapter 315 The Real BOSS
After Wang Lie left the field, there were still two minutes left in the game—or maybe five or six minutes if you include injury time.

However, the referee in this match may not give any added time at all, because it would be meaningless.

Even if Sofia United were given another ten minutes of playing time, could they possibly equalize the score?
Of course, if it's just about scoring one goal to save face, then six or seven minutes isn't too much of a time.

But does Sofia United have that capability now?
Absolutely not.

After Wang Lie scored Tyne's seventh goal of the match, the Sofia United players stood on the field, looking numb as if the game had nothing to do with them and they were not Sofia United players.

This is reminiscent of that league match last season, where the Solfo United players conceded nine goals to Tyne, a true "classic replay"...

Therefore, the result of this match was already determined, there was no suspense, and even the score would not be changed. Connor Cowley was confident enough to declare the match over when Wang Lie left the court.

At the same time he announced the end of the match, Jonathan Hall had already left the podium.

The television broadcast even gave the podium a close-up shot with a clear message when Wang Lie left the stage.

I just wanted to see how the management of Sofia United would react to the score and the match.

John Barker remained expressionless in the footage, just like the Sofia United players on the field, as if the game had nothing to do with him, and he was just a passerby who didn't care about the game.

Those who know him will recognize him as John Barker, the owner of Sofia United. Those who don't might mistake him for one of those VIPs sitting in the VIP boxes, busy exchanging phone numbers, discussing the New York and London stock exchange indices, taking selfies and editing photos, but not caring about the game itself.

When the camera looked for Hall next to Barker, it was discovered that the seat there was empty.

Jonathan Hall has left!
"Oh, Hall finally couldn't take it anymore and couldn't stand it any longer? Ha, leaving now, you've got some patience!"

Zhao Zhou used the broadcast footage to make sarcastic remarks about Hall.

"...I used to think he was just a two-dimensional character!"

Where did Jonathan Hall go?

He was actually going to the team's locker room.

When he pushed open the locker room door with a dark expression, he startled the team staff who were inside preparing for the end of the game.

Someone reminded him, "Mr. Hall, this is the locker room..."

During the game, unless there are special circumstances, the locker room is a sacred place and outsiders are not allowed to enter at will.

Hall's face darkened, and he snapped at him in a harsh tone, "I know! Did you think I came here to use the restroom?"

Upon hearing the general manager's words, the staff member who had previously given the warning immediately fell silent.

As club management, it's not that we can't enter the locker room, but we generally don't do so unless absolutely necessary.

Either the management goes into the locker room to congratulate the team after they win a game.

Alternatively, he might go into the locker room to give the team a pep talk after a crushing defeat.

This time, it was clearly not to celebrate the team's victory...

So there's only one reason left.

Just like after the last time the two teams played each other, Hall went to the locker room.

He's either here to hurl insults or to announce the head coach's dismissal.

※※※

Just as Jonathan Hall walked into the locker room, the referee finally blew the whistle to end the game—although the fourth official held up a sign indicating four minutes of stoppage time on the sidelines, the referee did not strictly adhere to that time.

He blew the final whistle one minute into stoppage time.

At this moment, a chorus of boos could be heard again over the Red Roof Stadium.

These boos were not directed at Wang Lie, nor at Tyne.

It was for the home team, Sofia United.

One of the main reasons why all the Sofia United fans who remained at the stadium stayed was probably to boo their own team at this moment.

They had to use this method to show everyone at Sofia how angry they were!
Since ousting Wang Lie, Sofia United has not entered the era of Heldon, nor the era of Shapman, nor even the era of Hall.

In two matches against Wang Lie, he conceded a total of sixteen goals but failed to score a single one.

Is this behavior normal?

Let alone Sofia United being one of England's top clubs, even a newly promoted team... no, even a Championship team shouldn't be beaten by such a large margin!

If Solskjaer fans aren't angry after such a terrible game, they're just a bunch of heartless zombies.

If a third of the fans hadn't already left, the boos at the stadium would probably have been even louder.

Big enough to cause deafness!

Amidst a storm of boos, Meller Shapman, still the manager of Sofia United, walked up to Sam McNeil and extended his hand to him.

"You guys played really well."

When he shook McNeil's hand, the compliments he offered were so genuine that McNeil couldn't detect any perfunctoriness in them.

This makes it believable that Shapman's words were a genuine and heartfelt compliment.

His sincerity and frankness left McNeil somewhat at a loss for words.

Are we supposed to say, "You guys played pretty well too"?

That would be truly ironic.

So he could only give a helpless smile and shake his head.

The two then stopped communicating, and Shapman released his hand and walked straight to the players' tunnel.

Redstone Stadium has a different structure from other stadiums. The entrance to the players' tunnel is not in the exact center of the main stand, but at the angle between the main stand and the side stands.

To leave the stadium via the exit, you must first pass through the main grandstand.

As Shapman walked away, Solfo United fans continued to yell and shout at him.

How dare you still be alive?!

"Wang is right! You are not qualified to coach Sofia United! You are not!"

You must take responsibility for this failure!

"If I were you, I would resign immediately!"

"You ruined Sofia!!"

……

Shapman heard the roars because they were really loud and right next to him.

This time, however, he didn't pretend he hadn't heard. As he approached the tunnel entrance, he stopped, then looked past the cameraman's lens, pressed his right hand against the Sofia United logo on the left breast of his suit, and bowed slightly to the Sofia United fans in the stands who were giving him the middle finger and shouting insults.

After doing all that, he turned and walked into the passage.

This surprised the Sofia United fans in the stands.

"What does it mean?"

"Apologize to us?"

"If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for?!"

"Don't think that bowing once can make up for the shame and losses he brought to Sofia!"

After the initial shock, the shouts and curses from the stands remained loud and intense.

Sofia fans just thought this good-for-nothing was putting on a show for the media.

They wouldn't be so clumsy as to deceive people's feelings when they're angry!

scold!
Give him a good dressing down!

We must forever nail the name of Meler Shapman to the pillar of shame!

After shaking hands with Shapman, Sam McNeil did not go onto the field to celebrate the victory with his teammates. Instead, he stood there, watching the man's back as he bowed to the Sofia fans in apology and witnessed their attacks on him.

Being a manager at a top club is tough, but being a manager at Sofia United is even tougher.

He knew this from the beginning, which is why he resolutely resigned from Sofia's youth academy, preferring to start over elsewhere rather than follow the club's career plan and wait step by step to become the head coach of Sofia's first team at some point.

However, after learning about Meler Shapman's experience, he was still shocked by the difficulty of coaching Sofia United.

At the same time, he was extremely grateful for his initial choice.

He may become the manager of Sofia United again in the future, but definitely not in the next few years.

But that will be a very, very long time from now...

He still has very important things to do in Tyne.

If you want to coach Sofia United in the future, how can you keep those "fathers" in the locker room in check if you have some impressive achievements?

Only after seeing Shapman walk into the tunnel with his head down did he turn around to greet his teammates on the field.

In fact, Tyne's players did not celebrate wildly.

If this were a last-minute, decisive victory, they might be even more excited.

But whether it was the 7-0 score or the entire course of the game, the outcome was decided early on, giving everyone enough time to prepare mentally. So when the final whistle blew, they were more calm than excited.

McNeil himself wasn't very excited. When everyone saw the head coach arrive, they just gave him a high five, and that was it. He was looking for Wang Lie, the only protagonist of this game.

Then he saw Wang Lie being pulled in front of the sponsor's billboard by the official media to be interviewed by the League Cup officials.

※※※

Wang Lie stood in front of a backdrop covered with the logos of League Cup sponsors, with a photographer carrying a camera and an official media reporter in front of him, his expression complex as he struggled to find the right words.

Yes, even seasoned reporters were somewhat bewildered by this match and the score.

Even with the previous 9-0 league victory as a precedent, today's match still felt somewhat surreal.

After all, it was Wang Lie's first league match against Sofia United since he was kicked out, and he vented all his anger. A 9-0 victory would be an exaggeration, but it wasn't impossible.

But this League Cup match comes six months after that league match. Has Wang Lie still not vented his anger?

Even though Wang Lie said some very unpleasant things to Sofia United before the match, everyone thought it was just a war of words before the game.

Verbal battles are something everyone does; it's nothing unusual.

However, judging from today's match, Wang Lie is clearly not done venting his anger.

Generally, reporters will congratulate the winning player before conducting the interview. The interview usually begins with "Congratulations on your victory" or "Congratulations on your goal in the match."

Now the reporter is unsure whether starting with this is a good thing...

Despite scoring five goals in the match and helping his team achieve a seven-goal victory, setting a new record, Wang Lie did not show any joy on his face when facing the camera.

Seeing that the reporter remained silent, Wang Lie asked, "Do you still want to conduct the interview?"

The reporter quickly said, "Oh, yes, yes. So, Wang, you scored five goals in this match, making you the first player to score five goals in a single game at Redstone Stadium. You've set a new record, but it was set against Sofia United, the team you played for for many years. What are your thoughts on this? What were you thinking when you were scoring against Sofia United?"

The reporter decided to skip the unimportant steps and get straight to the question he cared about most and wanted to ask most—the relationship between Wang Lie and Sofia.

Faced with this question, Wang Lie did not answer, but instead began to say what he wanted to say:

"I guess Meller Shapman will be sacked after this game. But I don't think changing the manager, even a competent one, will improve things for Sofia. As I said before the game, Sofia's problems can't be solved by just changing the manager. Was I not clear enough? How many managers do we have to sack before people realize where the real problem lies?"

At this point, Wang Lie suddenly raised his hand and pointed towards the podium.

“That’s where the real problem lies.”

The camera lens almost swung away, but thankfully the cameraman managed to control it.

Wang Lie withdrew his arm, but his eyes remained fixed in that direction as he said:
“I said before the match that Sofia United needed a rebuild, and a rebuild from top to bottom. How did Sven Heldon and Meler Shapman, two people who are clearly not up to par, become the Sofia United head coach? It was Jonathan Hall who picked them. As a club general manager, Jonathan Hall is incompetent in both ability and professional ethics.”

The reporter's eyes widened when he heard Wang Lie say such a shocking thing.

too direct!

too direct!

Wang unleashed a powerful shot at Hall, which struck him squarely in the face!

Previously, he only said that Heldon and Hall needed to be held responsible for the problems at Soforth United, but now he's directly attacking Hall!
The official reporter wanted to end the interview or change the subject; continuing on this topic was too dangerous...

But Wang Lie didn't give him that chance. Instead, he asked the reporter, "So who put this person, who is incompetent in both ability and professional ethics, in the position of club general manager?"

"Huh?" The reporter was caught off guard by the question.

※※※

Meler Shapman wasn't the first team member to return to the locker room because he needed to shake hands with McNeil.

Before him, many Sofia United players had already returned to the locker room – both on and off the field.

The moment the final whistle blew, they immediately headed towards the tunnel, as if staying outside for even a second longer would cause them to suddenly die.

They just wanted to escape from the place that made them sad, as far away as possible.

The locker room was a place for them to lick their wounds in solitude.

As a result, everyone who pushed open the door was surprised to find the club's general manager, Mr. Jonathan Hall, sitting in a chair with an air of nonchalance.

He remained expressionless as each Sofia United player entered the room, neither nodding nor waving, as if he hadn't seen them at all.

Everyone seemed to be able to see the "evil aura" surrounding the general manager's body.

To tell everyone unambiguously:

Don't mess with me, and don't come near me!
Hall's face finally came back to life when Mailer Shapman pushed open the door and entered.

※※※

Wang Lie raised his left hand again, pointing to the podium:

"It's the club's chairman, the club's owner, Mr. John Barker. It was Mr. John Barker who decided to make Jonathan Hall the club's general manager. So, after that last league match, I said that the club's problems lay with the management, not just Jonathan Hall. I wasn't very clear last time, so let's be frank this time—"

The reporter suddenly realized that what Wang Lie was about to say would be even more explosive than what he had said before.

He even subconsciously held his breath.

Then he heard Wang Lie say:
"I believe all of Sofia United's current problems can be attributed to the club's owner, Mr. John Barker. As the owner and chairman, he should be responsible for all the troubles and hardships the team has encountered. After acquiring Sofia United, did he have a clear and definite plan for the club's future? Was he truly committed to ensuring Sofia United's continued glory, or was he simply using this influential club to make money?"
“Holden thought I was a problem for the team’s rebuilding. So I left the team. Then Helden left the team too. Will Jonathan Hall leave? If he leaves, then what about Mr. John Barker?”

※※※

Jonathan Hall sat in the locker room, his eyes fixed on the door. He saw everyone who came in, but he didn't pay any attention to them, and his face remained expressionless.

Because none of them are the people he's waiting for.

He only came to life when he saw Mailer Shapman appear at the locker room door, as if he had transformed from a sculpture into a living person.

He quickly stood up, walked towards Shapman, and said:
"I have something to tell you."

Without beating around the bush, they were going to announce Shapman's dismissal directly in front of so many people in the locker room.

Upon hearing this, Shapman nodded and said, "Perfect timing, I also have something to tell you, Mr. Hall."

Hall hadn't expected Shapman to react this way after hearing his words.

So he paused for a moment, which caused him to not immediately say what was in his mind.

Shapman, however, having been prepared, immediately followed up after speaking:
"I am formally submitting my resignation to you, Mr. Hall. Effective immediately, I will no longer serve as the head coach of Sofia United."

In Hall's imagination, when he announced his dismissal to Shapman, Shapman should first be taken aback, then beg him to give him another chance, but he would refuse him without hesitation.

I never expected that it would be Shapman who said those words first.

It sounds like Shapman fired him as general manager...

He was caught off guard by Shapman!

They were immediately at a disadvantage in terms of momentum!

Realizing what he was saying, he said angrily, "Do you know what you're saying?"

Shapman nodded. "Yes, I know, Mr. Hall. I quit."

Hall took a deep breath, knowing he had lost this round to Shapman. Unwilling to admit defeat, he pointed at Shapman and said, "You resigned voluntarily, so don't even think about getting any compensation for breach of contract!"

While the club's general manager and head coach were arguing face to face, the coaching staff, employees, and Sofia United players who were returning to the locker room just stared blankly, completely unexpected that such a scene would unfold after the game.

Mailer Shapman turned to look at the stunned crowd, then back at Hall, whose back teeth were clenched together...

He shrugged. "Whatever, Mr. Hall."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Jonathan Hall, however, became agitated and shouted from behind him, "You're no longer qualified to attend the post-game press conference! You said you resigned and are no longer the team's head coach!"

He thought Shapman was going to create a big news story at a press conference.

That would make him, the club's general manager, lose face and also incur the boss's dissatisfaction, since he had made such a big mess and caused trouble for the boss.

Upon hearing this, Shapman turned back to him at the locker room door and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Hall, I won't say anything at the press conference."

Hall continued to stare intently at him.

“I’m just going home, Mr. Hall.”

After saying that, he strode out of the home team's locker room and never looked back.

He didn't even say goodbye to his players and coaching staff, nor did he apologize for leading the team to create such a shameful record at home.

Watching him resolutely disappear out of the locker room, Jonathan Hall realized this was that bastard's meticulous revenge; he wanted to fire him before he could fire him...

He had been tricked by such a good-for-nothing, and bitten back by the dog he had been keeping on a leash.

He felt as if a fire was about to explode inside him.

Especially after seeing the meaningful looks from everyone in the locker room, who showed him no respect whatsoever as the club's general manager, only mockery, ridicule, and even contempt...

The ball of fire finally erupted.

Bang!
He punched the electronic tactics board next to him.

Several vertical lines appeared on the screen with the Sofia logo as the background, then flickered a few times before going completely black.

It seems to be foreshadowing the future and fate of Sofia United.

(End of this chapter)