Team Spirit

Chapter 117 (1 words, please share) Lu Kai “coaches” Scandinavia, Green Guns win four championships!
Dartford, Pond Convenience Store.

A boy who was only 1.58 meters tall lingered at the door.

Inside the shop, Amorin and Kasper were discussing what was written on the notice board: "MFGA·Luther·Kai".

This is the title given by the British media to Lu Kai, the anti-football hooligan leader, in tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the American civil rights movement.

Amorin sipped his Wild Bayberry Coconut Milk Tea and said, “I think the name ‘Martin Luther King Jr.’ is not concise enough. The English still lack understanding of Chinese culture.”

Kasper: "So what do you think it should be?"

Amorin: "Maga Lukai Jun! It can also be shortened to Kaihuang! King means monarch in Chinese, so it should be retained."

Kasper shook his head: "No, MFGA isn't pronounced 'Maga,' it's 'Mufaga'!"

Amorin smiled slightly: "You don't understand K-pop at all. MFGA, the F is silent!"

EXO: Where on earth can we find chickens?!
Ai Kun: ? ? ?
"Huh? Why are you here?"

Lu Kai patted the boy on the shoulder and laughed, "You weren't kicked out of Xie Zhou's team, were you, Vardy?"

That's right, this boy is Jamie Vardy.

Vardy blushed instantly, but was also pleasantly surprised: "You, you remember my name?"

“Of course, come on in and have a seat.” Just as Lu Kai was about to open the door, Amorin had already taken over the doorman duties.

"Aunt Jiang, two cups of milk tea, please." Lu Kai gestured for Vardy to sit down and then asked, "So how did Xie Zhousan fire you?"

Vardy: "Fighting and brawling."

He did have quite a few bruises on his face.

Lu Kai: "If you want to join Dartford, you have to be honest first."

Vardy sighed: "I was beaten up. They bullied me, I fought back, but I couldn't win, and they ganged up on me."

"After the dormitory supervisor came, she blamed me for disrupting the team's discipline."

Lu Kai was completely bewildered: "You disrupted discipline?"

Vardy nodded: "Yes, he said why did everyone hit me instead of others? If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have hit me, and they wouldn't have broken the rules. I'm the root of the problem."

Lu Kai: "What's the relationship between George and this homeroom teacher?"

Vardy: "George is the son of the dormitory supervisor."

Lu Kai clapped his hands.

That's perfectly reasonable.

Vardy added self-deprecatingly, "Besides, I'm too short, and the team doesn't think I have the potential to develop in football."

Lu Kai shook his head repeatedly: "Don't think like that. Height won't be an obstacle for you in playing football. Even if you're only 1.58 meters tall forever, you still have the ability to become a professional player."

"Besides, you'll definitely grow taller in the future, so reaching 1.8 meters won't be a problem."

"Don't worry, we are developing a method to make people grow taller, and we already have some leads."

Vardy was immediately excited.

Only Amorim couldn't help but laugh.

Ashley Young immediately shared and boasted about it to Amorim after learning that he might grow taller.

So Amorin already knows what Lu Kai's so-called "height-increasing technique" is.

Vardy, you wouldn't want your leg to be broken by someone else, would you?
"Then I..." Vardy looked at Lu Kai with a mixture of anticipation and fear of being hurt.

"Would you like to join Dartford's youth academy?" Lu Kai extended an invitation. "I have a lot of confidence in your career. As long as you work hard enough, you might be able to train with the first team next season."

"At the latest, I will definitely be able to play for the first team."

"As for your weekly wage, considering that this place is a bit far from your home, how about we increase it by twenty pounds on top of what Sheffield Wednesday is paying you?"

Vardy jumped up excitedly: "Great!"

"Thank you, Lu!"

"I will train hard, play well for Dartford, and strive to become a glorious Gunner!"

Amolin quickly texted Ashley Young with the good news: Young, we've got a youth academy player who's even shorter than you!
Ashley Young: Gun!

Thus, Vardy, who was expelled from Sheffield Wednesday's youth academy, successfully enlisted in the army at the end of this season.

Of course, as is customary, the milk tea that Lu Kai treated Vardy to would be deducted from Vardy's weekly wage.

This future legend of Blue Fox has been prematurely tainted.

After Arsenal legend Ian Wright, Jamie Vardy is the most dazzling grassroots legend in English football.

He started playing for an eighth-tier team, earning £30 a week, and then moved to the seventh, sixth, and fifth tiers.

After joining Leicester City, he not only helped the team get promoted to the Premier League, but also miraculously won the title the following year, which earned him a place in the England national team.

He won the Premier League Golden Boot, Premier League Player of the Year, and other awards during his career, and his highest Ballon d'Or ranking was eighth.

These are the true superstars from the scumbags at Dartford, firmly holding the top spot.

Then came Ashley Young and Kasper.

Then came Patton and Amorin.

Of course, due to their different ages, these players' current ranking in terms of ability and future achievements are not consistent with each other at Dartford.

The current rankings are Barton, Ashley Young, Amorin, Kasper, and Vardy.

The current skill level of most players on the team is between Ashley Young and Amorim.

Players like Eastwood, Brad, and Duff are in the same league as Barton, with higher overall ratings than Ashley Young.

……

May 4th, Dartford's rescheduled match of the 29th round of the league.

Green Gunners easily defeated relegation-threatened Shrewsbury Town 3-0.

With 80 league points, they secured one of the three direct promotion spots with a round to spare, rewriting the promotion landscape.

Currently, only one round remains in the English Third Division.

The top spot belongs to Yeowell with 83 points. They secured direct promotion in the previous round, earlier than Dartford.

Second place: Dartford, 80 points.

Swansea City, in third place with 79 points, is the strongest contender for the last direct promotion spot and could potentially overtake Dartford to finish second in the Second Division.

Scunthorpe finished fourth with 77 points. Due to a significantly worse goal difference than Dartford, and also because they were tied on points with Dartford, Scunthorpe secured promotion ahead of schedule.

Fifth place is Shawson United with 77 points, trailing Scunthorpe United on goal difference. However, they have an advantage: their final round opponent is not strong, and they have a high probability of securing all three points.

Scunthorpe, in fourth place, will face Yeowell, the leader of the English Third Division, in the final round, making it extremely difficult for them to gain points.

Swansea City, in third place, has a worse goal difference than Shawn United.

Therefore, theoretically, if Swansea draws and Scunthorpe loses or draws, they can also secure a direct promotion spot.

Sixth place: Maxfield United, 75 points; seventh place: Lincoln City, Northampton Town, Torquay United, 72 points.

Only two of the four teams will qualify for the promotion playoffs.

Dartford's final opponent is Cheltenham, who are ranked 12th in the English Third Division and have nothing to play for.

This was also Duff's former team.

Cheltenham dropped Duff after being promoted from the fifth tier to the third division, and the two unexpectedly met in this way.

"If we want to win the championship, we must win the last game; that's fundamental." Victor was conducting his pre-match analysis for the final game.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Alfred simply echoed.

Victor: "But the real key is actually the game between Yeowell and Scunthorpe. Scunthorpe must win so that we can take the lead over Yeowell on goal difference and win the League Three title!"

"But there is still a gap in strength between the two teams."

Lu Kai nodded, then gestured for Jiang Mengyun to display the PowerPoint presentation. Pointing to the screen, he said, "This is the tactical analysis diagram of Yeowell that I made."

“Look here, everyone. Their right rib area is not covered very well.”

"To defeat them, we must focus on this position."

Alfred suddenly realized: "You mean, we should tell Scunthorpe this and let them exploit this loophole?"

Viktor was also dumbfounded.

So... top coaches not only coach their own teams, but also other teams?
But how can this idea be put into practice?

Why should Scunthorpe believe... wait, Kevin Dawson!

Lu Kai nodded with a smile: "That's right. Third-rate coaches teach positioning. Second-rate coaches teach players. First-rate coaches teach tactics. Top-rate coaches teach other clubs!"

Teaching positioning is like "treating the part but not the whole"—it's like treating the symptoms but not the root cause.

Coaching players means developing and transforming them.

Teaching tactics means imparting concepts such as counter-attacking, high pressing, perfect passing and control, and total football.

Teaching other clubs means leading a style, making others follow your example.

But when Lu Kai said he was teaching other clubs, he really meant teaching them in the literal sense!

“Victor, compile this information into a booklet,” Lu Kai said. “Alfred, I will arrange for you to meet with Kevin and his brother later.”

Andy Dawson, Scunthorpe's starting left-back.

Alfred was stunned: "Huh? Me? I'm going to meet Andy? Should we send Victor instead?"

Lu Kai smiled and shook his head.

Having tactics alone does not guarantee a stable outcome.

The tactical abilities of coaches in the English football system are so poor that anyone who has worked with them knows they are simply unreliable.

Among coaches at the mid-to-lower levels, German coaches are the most reliable.

Therefore, when necessary, Alfred would provide Scanthorpe with some technical guidance on-site.

Of course, Scunthorpe's players wouldn't bother with outsiders, which is why Alfred wanted to get to know Andy.

Let's get to know each other better and network a bit.

Fortunately, Andy, who plays left-back, has a natural advantage in exploiting gaps on the opponent's right flank.

As long as he remains ambitious, he will not ignore the advice that Dartford and Alfred give him.

Because Lu Kai dares to guarantee that even if Scansorp wants to target the opponent's right flank, they will definitely send players from the forward, winger, attacking midfielder, or midfielder positions.

But in reality, football is interconnected.

When your players move, others will naturally follow suit, and the vulnerability on the right flank actually shrinks or even closes during this period.

To accurately target this position, only a forward run by the full-back can deliver a decisive blow.

It just so happens that Lu Kai had previously devised a targeted tactic for Markofer, which involved the right-back making forward runs into the flanks.

This "Buddha's Palm" book ended up being a good deal for Andy.

But why would Andy listen to ordinary people?

Alfred has already made a name for himself in the industry as the head coach of the Green Gun Miracle.

People even dug up his work history at Manchester United.

Although it is unclear what exactly he does at Manchester United, some people are already calling him the "Green Ferguson"!
Ferguson: MMP!

Being able to communicate with such a renowned manager makes it easier for Andy to accept Dartford's "recommended tactics".

Putting everything else aside, Alfred's ability to feign expertise is absolutely among the best in the world.

In comparison, Viktor was ultimately a rather honest man.

Moreover, while Viktor's tactical skills are good, they are rather old-fashioned.

On the contrary, Alfred, who doesn't have much of his own ideas, learned Lu Kai's methods very quickly. He even mastered the 18-district division of football and the 20-district division of Guardiola.

It is also easier and more accurate to communicate with Lu Kai.

“Yes, we’ll hire four bodyguards to secure the best position for Alfred at the Scandinavia home stadium.” Lu Kai told Jiang Mengyun to write it down and prepare the expenses. “Also, prepare two satellite phones, firstly to reduce delays, and secondly to avoid signal congestion and being unable to make calls.”

Scansorpe's home stadium is quite ordinary, with a maximum capacity of 6,000 people.

Standing room available!
The fans were very close to the grass.

If Andy wants to, he can hear Alfred's voice.

Soon, Kevin arranged a dinner for his head coach and brother.

Alfred handed Andy two documents.

One was a team analysis, given by Andy to the Scandinavia head coach. Anyone with a brain would know what to do.

The other document was for Andy to read himself, to quickly absorb the tactical key points of the full-backs' forward runs into the flanks.

Alfred aptly titled it "How to Become a Top Full-Back: A Personal Guide (Manchester United Improved Version)".

The words "Manchester United Improved Version" were highlighted in red and bold, as if afraid Andy wouldn't see them.

Andy was moved to tears just by the title on the cover!

If this were posted online, wouldn't it be considered top-secret material from a 2999 one-on-one exclusive learning package?
Andy is a veteran player, so of course he understands the value of these two documents.

They also knew Dartford's purpose.

Whether Dartford can win the title this season depends on whether Scanthorpe can defeat Yeowell.

However, Scanthorpe must also defeat Yeovil if they want to secure the last direct promotion spot.

It's not impossible for the latter to be without desires or wants.

Of course, they also hope that Swansea loses or draws, which is also possible, because Swansea's opponent is Northampton, a team that will fight hard for a promotion play-off spot.

everything's ready.

On May 9, 2002, the final round of the English Third Division kicked off.

Dartford fielded their strongest lineup at home against Cheltenham.
Eastwood, Holt
Shory, Brad, Markov
Lu Kai, Kevin

Williams, Williams, Duff

An Qi
-

Barton has been given an additional five-match ban by the FA for disrupting the awards ceremony.

That's right, he was suspended not for assaulting Marshall, but for disrupting the awards ceremony.

This is enough to prove how much Blackpool got beaten for nothing.

Under the prevailing trend of capitalism, Lu Kai, who actually committed the assault, did not receive any additional punishment, only a normal one-match suspension due to a red card.

Not to mention criminal liability, detention, and interrogation.

Not at all!

Many media outlets even added a "dreamy filter" to the photo of Lu Kai playing doubles with sticks that was secretly taken, calling it the "football version of Jesus exorcising demons"!
Is that called hitting someone? That's fucking calling it acting on behalf of Heaven!

In China, this would be a "successful assassination attempt on the King of Qin" version of Jing Ke's story, where he would not only be innocent but also receive a great reward.

The most direct manifestation of this was in Joyce's subsequent "EFL Trophy Optimization and Reform Plan," which used Dartford and Lu Kai as positive examples to propose that the EFL Trophy should find its core competitiveness—providing a stage for young and lower-level players.

We urge all Premier League teams' youth academies to join the EFL Trophy, giving these young players a chance to compete for a legitimate championship!

Not just youth training league champions.

The latter sounds a bit like a childish game involving Nike and Adidas cups, and it's not formal enough.

Most Premier League teams support this view.

Because each team has so few opportunities to play, apart from the one most outstanding youth academy talent, other excellent youth academy players can only be loaned to lower-level teams.

The disadvantages of loaning out a player are: first, they are more prone to injury; second, they are more likely to be tempted by the other team with a starting position; and third, if the other team's development methods conflict with the parent team's, then even if the player makes it big, the parent team cannot use him.

However, if youth training teams can join the UK Championship, in addition to the existing youth league, the competition format will be complete and the honors will be sufficient, which will reduce the need to loan out young players and keep the benefits within the family.

For lower-level teams, playing alongside Premier League youth academies would make it easier for their players to be discovered by Premier League coaches and scouts, wouldn't it?
Why not take advantage of this new path to wealth?

Moreover, the more people participate in a competition, the more valuable it becomes.

With this proposal, Joyce further solidified his position.

As a newly appointed official, if he doesn't produce any tangible results, people will think he's good at internal power struggles but incompetent at external ones. He needs to prove that he's capable of both internal power struggles and development.

Lu Kai, through his case, became a representative figure of the New England Championship, gaining widespread recognition!
You're talking to me about penalties and suspensions for fighting now?

Cardiff Police agreed, but the Football Association wouldn't!
Barton, who was suspended, did not appear in the stands at Riverside Stadium today. Instead, he became one of Alfred's four bodyguards and went to Scanthorpe's home ground.

Such high-hourly-paying job opportunities would definitely be given priority to one's own brothers.

In the second minute, Lu Kai passed the ball to the left wing.

After Shawn made a run down the flank, he passed the ball across to Brad.

Brad continued his sweeping pass without stopping the ball, and it was a curved cross that bypassed the opposing center-back's outstretched leg to block it.

Eastwood scored a difficult goal with a volley.

One to zero!

Dartford got off to a dream start.

With a current score of 83, they are behind Yeowell's 841 points.

The score is currently tied.

In the 25th minute, Markofo made a brilliant dribble down the right wing, broke into the penalty area, and beat Holt with a one-two before firing a shot from a tight angle near the six-yard box line to score.

Two to zero!
Dartford wins again.

In the 31st minute, Marko dribbled and created a throw-in in the attacking third.

Lu Kai launched a powerful throw-in, sending the ball directly to the edge of the penalty area.

Eastwood headed the ball, won a touch, and passed it to the side.

Brad tapped in a shot.

The football went into the goal.

Three to zero!
Dartford have secured the victory!

In the 45th minute, Lu Kai launched a long pass to the right.

Markov caught up with the ball on the wing and delivered a cutback pass.

Holt got into position, but couldn't shoot directly. He flicked the ball backward with his heel.

Eastwood was unmarked at the penalty spot and unleashed a powerful shot.

Completed a second victory.

He raised his league goal tally to 23, surpassing three players with 22 goals each, and became the sole recipient of the Second Division Silver Boot!

Lu Kai's league goal tally has plummeted this season, with only seventeen goals.

His goal-scoring performances in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and EFL Trophy are far inferior to his goal-scoring performances in the three major cup competitions.

The outside world believes that this was caused by Lu Kai's relocation to a later position.

But Jiang Mengyun, who has been receiving offers from other teams since the EFL Cup, has reason to believe that Lu Kai is "feeding pigs".

Since the EFL Cup, players like Eastwood, Brad, and Markover have significantly improved their goal and assist efficiency.

Other teams are also gradually increasing their offers for them.

This is in stark contrast to Lu Kai's data.

During halftime, Lu Kai emphasized three points to the players.

Safety!

Safety!

And this is supposed to be safe?!
"The team will not pursue scoring goals or even the best defense going forward."

"I just hope you all stay healthy and can enjoy the well-deserved vacation after this season ends!"

"We've had a tough season, and we might have an even tougher one next season, so everyone needs to take care of themselves and stay safe."

"I don't want anyone to become the next Ashley Young!"

The players were all deeply moved.

The boss is so nice!

He really cares about our health!

If Alfred hadn't been there today, he would definitely have been furious: "The team really can't afford to lose another six million pounds!"

"While none of these players individually could fetch the price of Ashley Young, a group of Morgans combined would still be quite a sum." In the 50th minute of the second half, a Cheltenham striker won a penalty and converted it, pulling one back for Cheltenham.

However, Dartford still maintained firm control of the game.

In the 76th minute, Lu Kai took a corner kick, and Duff headed the ball into the net, defeating his former club.

Five to one!

It couldn’t be more stable!
Unless it's Barcelona playing against Paris Saint-Germain or Roma, the outcome is unlikely to change.

Dartford then made three substitutions.

"Barbecue Prince" Kailo replaced Lu Kai.

"Portuguese Barton" Amorim replaced Brad.

Mark, the "father of Bellingham," replaced Eastwood, marking his final performance at the stadium.

After being substituted, Lu Kai rushed to the player tunnel immediately.

Kasper was already there waiting for him with a satellite phone.

Currently, major competitions still stipulate that electronic devices are not allowed to be used on the coaching bench to prevent teams from cheating.

But the tide of the times is irresistible.

With the advent of walkie-talkies, mobile phones, and even more electronic devices, this regulation is becoming meaningless.

At least in places like the locker room and player tunnel, there are no restrictions.

In the future, electronic devices will eventually be available on the coaching bench to help coaches better understand the dynamic data of the players on the field, thereby making more effective commands.

Lu Kai took the phone and began communicating with Alfred.

But the result was not optimistic.

"Yeowell's striker, Phil Jevons, is indeed strong; he scored a goal through individual skill." Alfred's voice was noisy. "Currently, it's 1-0."

“Scunthorpe did target Yeowell’s weaknesses on the left wing a few times at the beginning and did create some chances.”

"But the players lacked execution, and they gradually reverted to their old rhythm."

Lu Kai frowned.

The players on the Dartford bench couldn't contain themselves any longer.

They all basically knew what was going on, so they left the bench and went to the players' tunnel.

This attracted the attention of the cameras on site.

"Huh? What's going on? Dartford's substitutes are all gathered in the players' tunnel?"

"Oh, is Lu Kai talking to the outside world? It must be the Yeowell vs. Scanthorpe match. Dartford has to pray that Yeowell loses if they want to win the title."

"But the situation is very unfavorable for Dartford now, because Yeowell is leading 1-0!"

"Speaking of which, it's strange that Dartford's manager Alfred was absent today. Their assistant coach Victor was temporarily in charge of the game."

The Dartford players offered words of comfort and encouragement to each other.

"Actually, we've already done quite well; we've upgraded!"

"Yes, we've risen six levels in three years! There's no team in the world that can get promoted more quickly than us!"

"Whether you're first, second, or third is irrelevant; upgrading is the most important thing."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. I dare say everyone thinks we've already done our best!"

Lu Kai suddenly reached out his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Alfred was dictating the game, which was much faster than the live broadcast.

Lu Kai closed his eyes.

He did thorough research before the match and was very familiar with the formations and playing habits of both clubs.

Tight or loose formation, positioning or out-of-position play, passing and possession or counter-attack, wing play or central penetration...

Needless to say, the stadium itself is divided into eighteen sections, which can accurately depict a player's position on the field.

Alfred even learned how to divide the districts into twenty sections using the Guaranteed system.

At the same time, Daniel took out his latest laptop and started playing the broadcast from there.

With the help of the delayed broadcast footage, Lu Kai was able to know what was happening "almost simultaneously".

There are two types of ball IQ.

One type is the ball intelligence used in competition with others.

This confrontation is broad; it's not just about physical confrontation, but a kind of confrontation where you find endless enjoyment in fighting with others.

My feints fooled you, I anticipated your predictions, and so on.

Another approach is to extrapolate ball intelligence.

Playing blindfold chess, and it's dynamic.

That is, to deduce the players' next actions based on their current movements, postures, and positions.

Many top midfielders often pass the ball to areas where they have no vision, and their passes are both accurate and effective.

It's because they don't need to look; they know in their minds that an opportunity will arise in that place at that time.

By the time everyone actually sees it, the opportunity is gone.

De Bruyne and Modric are particularly typical examples of this.

Therefore, someone who lacks the ability to create three-dimensional models in their brain cannot become a top midfield maestro.

This ability can be accurately demonstrated in the geometry section of junior high school mathematics.

Some people struggle with geometry not because they can't calculate, but because they can't think logically. The models in their minds are fragmented, flickering, inconsistent, and unable to be updated with data. Adding data results in garbled text, they forget previous data, and the model disappears without warning.

For the truly powerful, the model in their minds can be broken down into pieces, magnified or shrunk, and annotated at will.

The ultimate form is the memory palace!
"The opportunity has come! Let Andy move forward! When he gets to the left flank, he needs the ball!" Lu Kai suddenly spoke into the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Alfred on the sidelines immediately shouted, "Andy! Move forward! There's a chance on the left flank! A chance!"

Alfred was right next to the center line, on Andy's side.

This position was carefully chosen by him, so he could directly talk to Andy in the second half.

Because Alfred's voice was so certain, Andy went up without any hesitation.

A smooth journey.

When he reached the left flank, his teammate easily passed him the ball.

Their midfield maestro was still wondering how there could be such a good passing option.

Andy recalled the contents of the information Alfred had given him.

After the full-back moves forward into the half-space, he can choose to play a through ball, a cross, or advance the ball himself, depending on the situation.

Now is...

The center-back marking the Scansoape striker spotted Andy's position and immediately pounced on him.

Scansop 9 practically dominated the entire penalty area, particularly the left side.

Through ball!

Andy delivered a through ball.

The center forward received the ball and unleashed a powerful shot, easily scoring!

"GOAL! 1-1! Scandinavia has equalized! They still have a chance to advance directly! They haven't given up!"

"Andy's performance was absolutely outstanding! His crucial forward run changed the game! Who would have thought a left-back would appear in the attacking midfield position!"

Cheers came from the other end of the phone.

Lu Kai clenched his fist subconsciously.

Dartford players celebrated together in the players' tunnel.

Nothing happened on their football field.

The fans all looked over with curiosity.

Even the reporters at the scene were unaware of what had happened.

Several dozen seconds later, many reporters seemed to have found the answer.

"Oh! Great news! Scanthorpe has caught up with Yeowell! The gap between Dartford and Yeowell has gone from three points to one point!"

"The Green Guns still have a theoretical chance of winning the championship!"

"It's worth mentioning that Andy Dawson, the key player who made this possible for the Celtics, is the brother of Kevin Dawson, the Celtics' starting center-back!"

"It seems Andy wants to secure direct promotion for his team while also winning a League Three title for his brother!"

Some commentators have given this interpretation in an exaggerated way.

But most people think it's irrelevant.

It just so happened that Andy provided the assist.

It just so happens that he and Kevin are brothers.

How could a simple match be so complicated?
The game continues.

Time continues to pass.

The score remained 5-1 on the riverside pitch, and neither side had the motivation or need to continue playing; they were simply waiting for time to run out.

All the passion, however, was directed towards the players' tunnel.

Dartford's substitutes and staff lamented Scanthorpe's missed attacking opportunities and were relieved that Yeowell hadn't scored.

One minute she's screaming, the next she's kneeling.

He was even more excited than most fans watching the game.

After all, this championship means a lot to Dartford.

Cup competitions are all about luck.

Leagues are a test of ability.

Nothing proves you better than winning the league title.

This is especially true for a team that has been promoted from the seventh tier of leagues.

If the EFL Cup is a lucky draw, the opponent doesn't take it seriously, you get lucky, or you occasionally have a breakout performance.

The fact that they won the English Third Division title proves the consistency of this group of players.

Even if they are relegated to League Two, they will likely still be strong contenders for the title!
As mentioned before, it is very difficult for the champion of the amateur lower-level league to be promoted continuously after promotion, as each level is a formidable barrier.

Because their core players are mostly mature or older players with stable abilities, any emerging young talents who could potentially make a significant difference to the team are easily poached.

However, in the lower leagues of the professional leagues, it is common for promoted teams to achieve consecutive promotions, eventually reaching League One.

These teams are often promoted because they make a big splash in player recruitment, exceeding the current level, and they also have the ability to retain players, so their strong period can last for at least three years.

Dartford is the second type.

But not entirely.

Because they won the EFL Cup, they attracted attention, so the team's previously decent ability to retain players became less effective.

Of course, there were also some people who were even more excited than the Dartford players.

A ward at London Second People's Hospital.

Although Ashley Young longed to be there with his brothers to fight for the English Third Division title, he was still unable to leave his hospital bed less than a week after undergoing surgery.

"Fourth brother, pour me a glass of water, fourth brother... fourth brother!" Ashley Young called his underling several times, but the underling didn't respond.

He stared intently at the live broadcast of the match between Yeowell and Scansorpe.

“All Dartford fans are watching this game right now,” Young said.

Yang Laosan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Little brother, why are you shaking? It's Second Brother who's having the surgery, not you!"

Ashley Young laughed, "This silly kid is acting like he bought a lottery ticket for Dartford to win the League Three!"

Yang Laoda: "A payout of 5,000 is terrifying! If someone actually wins, they could buy their family a new car right away!"

Yang Laosan: "It's a pity that Fourth Brother lost his lottery ticket, otherwise we could still have some hope! That idiot, I get angry just looking at him! He used to get ten times his investment back from the betting companies! You can't earn that much from buying Intel stock for a whole season!"

Amidst the harsh words of his older brothers, young Yang Lao Si pulled a lottery ticket from his pocket.

Pfft!
Two more people were kneeling on the floor in the ward.

Ashley Young didn't kneel not because he had backbone, but because his leg was broken.

Yang Laosan angrily slapped himself in the face: "Is this for real? Fourth brother is awesome! I'm the idiot!"

Yang the eldest's hands trembled as he said, "Brother! You're my own brother! Fourth brother, from now on you'll be the older brother, and I'll be your younger brother!"

Ashley Young frantically searched for his phone: "No, I have to tell Lu, we absolutely have to win the English Third Division! Our family's future depends on this trophy!"

"Wait, this mainly depends on Yeowell and Scanthorpe. Calling Lu didn't help..."

Before Ashley Young could finish speaking, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the broadcast camera.

That's... Patton?
And... Coach Alfred!

Is it...

"Holy crap! This is going to work! This is definitely going to work! Lu Kai has made his move!" Ashley Young said something that the three brothers didn't quite understand.

The four little Yangs looked like they were going crazy.

The match then reached the 89th minute.

Even with extra time remaining, Scanthorpe's chances are running out.

"Move forward! Head towards the center circle first, then back to the left flank after crossing the center circle! Charge all the way to the penalty area!" Lu Kai watched the footage of the actual match, which was dozens of seconds behind, and combined with Alfred's description, he knew that the opportunity had come again.

Alfred quickly finished speaking at an extremely fast pace.

Andy then moved forward.

The reason we moved towards the center circle in the first half was because the opposing team's substitute midfielder was blocking the left flank.

The opposing coach has clearly made adjustments.

But if Andy, a left-back, goes into the middle, no one will mark him.

Because the location is too outrageous.

The Scandinavian coach was stunned when he found out.

Who the hell taught Andy to play football like that?
Once he touched the center circle, Andy began to move forward to the left front, his running speed not very fast.

No one who saw him reacted much.

When his teammates looked, oh, it was Andy.

The opposing player looked and realized, "Oh, he's not one of my players."

It wasn't until Andy reappeared on his left side that the other party snapped out of his daze.

"Whose people are they?"

"Defend against him!"

"Get on top!"

The next moment, Andy shouted for his team's midfield maestro, who suddenly accelerated forward from the left flank!
And his team's core player was indeed capable; he had already noticed Andy's positioning was off when he was in the middle of the court and was prepared.

boom!
"Scandoffs sent a long through ball into the penalty area! But they don't have a striker... wait, who is that?"

"Andy! Andy has broken into the penalty area!"

"What's going on? He's just a left-back!"

"Andy controlled the ball perfectly, left side of the penalty area, unmarked... left-footed blast! GOAL!!!"

"Goal! Goal! Goal!"

"Incredible!!!"

"Is this magic?"

"Andy Dawson!"

"This is his fourth year with Scanthorpe! Scanthorpe brought him here from Nottingham Forest for £70,000!"

"Scansorp has proven to have made the right decision!"

"Two hundred and twenty-five games, twelve goals! People knew Andy was a striker, but no one expected his strike to be so sharp!"

"2-1! Scandinavia has come back from behind to win! They've practically secured the last direct promotion spot to League Two! Are the Tigers going to make it to League Two?"

"That was a great goal!"

"Andy not only sent himself to League Two, but also kicked the championship trophy into his own brother's hands!"

"What a profound brotherly bond!"

"Datford should definitely thank Scanthorpe after the game; even presenting the Tigers with a banner wouldn't be too much!"

"Huh? That's... Alfred?"

Why is Dartford manager Alfred here?

The television kept replaying the scene of Alfred telling Andy to move forward in the final moments.

The language of the camera speaks for itself.

"Wait! Could it be... that it's not Andy helping Dawson, not Skanthorpe helping Dartford... but Dartford helping Skanthorpe?"

"Did Green Gun provide Tigers with off-field assistance and technical guidance?"

"This...my God! This is going to cause a sensation after the match!"

"One person's guidance turned a team from potentially missing out on promotion to being directly promoted. I wouldn't normally say something so outrageous."

"But if that person is Alfred, the godfather of the Green Gun Miracle, I can!"

"Although he often appears to be dozing off on the bench, earning him the nickname 'Sleeping Alfred,' his tactical acumen is beyond question!"

"Alfred, a grand slam of honors, twelve championships in three years, each one bearing my name!"

"I can't wait to verify all of this with Alfred. If it's really as I say, then I strongly recommend Alfred to coach the England national team!"

"He will definitely awaken the Three Lions from their slumber!"

Ninety-second minute.

The game has ended at the riverside stadium.

The score remains 5-1.

Dartford did not celebrate; everyone was waiting for the final result of the other game.

Ninety-third minute.

Three whistles sound at Scandinavia's home ground.

An explosion occurred at a riverside sports field hundreds of miles away!

"Congratulations to Skanthorpe! They have defeated Yeowell, who are currently leading the standings, while Swansea City, who are ahead of them, have been tied by Northampton!"

"As a result, Swansea lost their direct promotion qualification and will have to play in the promotion play-offs to compete with three other teams for a promotion spot."

Northampton Town, on the other hand, have lost their chance to play in the promotion play-offs.

"Congratulations to Dartford! They worked as hard and were as lucky as Skanthorpe! They caught up with Yeowell on points and won the League Three title with a huge goal difference!"

"This is their fourth championship trophy this season!"

"This has been an incredible season!"

"Treble, quintuple, quadruple! Dartford have had a dream season over the past three years! Their momentum has never stopped!"

"Looking back at Lu Kai's outrageous remarks when he was fifteen, how ridiculous it was that he said we wanted to play in the English Premier League!"

"But now, how much of your former laughter remains?"

"How many teams in League Two can withstand this shot?"

Tremble, England!

"Please note, please note, this miracle is called Dartford Royal VCD!"

(End of this chapter)