6 save. Gradually Improving
Kick and rush.
A phrase virtually synonymous with the identity of the manager called Sam Allardyce.
The long-ball tactic based on physicality was called robust football in name, but it was also criticized as essentially hoof-ball.
Despite such criticism, Sam Allardyce did not change his convictions.
He also proved himself by producing consistent results.
But extreme kick and rush inevitably led to dissatisfaction boiling over, and at West Ham, too, people were gradually growing tired of his football.
‘Wow.’
But Sin Uison was marveling.
He knew full well what kind of evaluations the manager called Big Sam received, but—
his actual coaching had a huge difference from what he had thought.
‘It’s meticulous.’
That was the first thing he felt while watching Sam Allardyce’s coaching and receiving his guidance.
It was systematic and scientific.
Equipment he hadn’t seen in reserve team training, and even a professional coaching staff.
‘This is the manager who was evaluated as being too old-fashioned?’
And to think that such systematic and scientific training produced extreme kick and rush.
It was the moment his prejudice-laden thoughts collapsed.
“You seem surprised.”
“Jussi.”
Watching such a Sin Uison, Jussi Jääskeläinen spoke to him.
“Among the young ones, there are some who get surprised like you. Still, he’s a manager who has had quite an influence in the Premier League.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
From the nodding Jussi, definite trust could be felt.
And rightly so—his heyday had been at Bolton Wanderers, where he had played under Sam Allardyce.
As a player, he couldn’t hate the manager who had led his prime.
“Well, anyway, staying long in the Premier League like that old man isn’t easy.”
“That’s true.”
He had definitely felt something while receiving Sam Allardyce’s coaching today, even if briefly.
That comparing him to the reserve team manager was itself rude.
But at the same time, curiosity surged.
If Sam Allardyce, who received so much criticism, was at this level, then what level were world-class managers at?
“Sin, it’s your turn.”
“Ah, yes!”
Sin Uison, who had been thinking such thoughts, came to his senses at Adrian’s words.
The other two goalkeepers moved aside, and he, standing in the center, quietly exhaled.
Hsshhh.
Hooooo.
At the same time, the coach kicked the ball.
Sin Uison deflected the ball without difficulty.
But it wouldn’t end with this. Shots immediately poured in.
‘This much!’
If there was something he had gotten a feel for during this time, it was exactly how to use his body.
This was a movement different from what the youth goalkeeper coaches or reserve team goalkeeper coaches had taught him.
He found the movement that suited him.
“Sin! What on earth happened?!”
“You’re quite good, better than what I heard from Adrian.”
If there was anyone most surprised, it would be Adrian.
Having never participated in reserve team training since establishing himself in the first team, his eyes widened at Sin Uison’s changed appearance from what he remembered.
“Well, you know, something like that happened.”
If he said he did intense training even in his dreams every day, who would believe him?
Sin Uison gave a bitter smile and looked at the two goalkeepers praising him.
Adrian was a goalkeeper currently showing very good form, and Jussi was a veteran who had accumulated much experience.
Feeling that there was no place for him here was not a delusion of his own.
‘I mustn’t get arrogant.’
Sin Uison turned his head and looked at the guys who had mocked him in the locker room.
Even among those homegrown youth players, only a very few managed to establish themselves in the first team.
It was possible that perhaps none of them would establish themselves.
With even the homegrown youth players cherished by the club in such a situation, it was far too early to relax just because he had received a few praises at first-team training.
‘It’s a day I learned a lot.’
This was sincere.
First-team training had quite a difference from the training he had done until now.
Being able to experience a higher world, even if indirectly, was a great gain.
‘I think I can have a good dream today.’
Of course.
Unlike Sin Uison’s wishes, not everything went easily.
“Hmmm.”
Sin Uison, who had been looking into the stat system in detail, let out a groan.
To be precise, obtaining points was not easy.
Points were one of the easiest ways to raise stats. But the problem was that they couldn’t be obtained through ordinary training.
When he first obtained points, he had achieved a challenge and received 10 points.
But he didn’t know what the other challenges were.
Because they were all locked behind question marks.
“Hey.”
[I cannot inform you of that.]
The Voice’s answer was firm. Unlike before, it was information it knew but could not disclose.
“I wasn’t even expecting it.”
Sin Uison sighed and scratched his head.
‘For now, it’s better not to have high expectations.’
There was training as another method. It was also the most basic method.
If he trained in this dream, rewards were given according to the results.
Of course, it didn’t give points. It gave a certain level of experience, and when this accumulated, stats rose like leveling up.
“The problem is that it’s not easy.”
Sin Uison was personally experiencing that even though it was called the lowest difficulty, it wasn’t exactly easy.
‘What training should I do today?’
Sin Uison scanned the training window. There were many types of training, and among them, the penalty save he had done first belonged to the quite difficult side.
For now, he had to find training that matched his level.
【Shooting Save Training - Lowest Difficulty】
【Shooting positions will be selected randomly.】
The safest choice was indeed this.
Sin Uison, having selected the training, raised his head.
He saw shadows retreating outside the penalty area.
No, not just that.
[They have increased.]
“I know.”
Sin Uison furrowed his face as he looked at the ones that had multiplied like cell division. The shadows had positioned themselves at different locations.
Shhhhk.
The first to move was the one at the outer right side of the penalty area.
Boom!
A powerfully struck shot curved toward the corner of the goal.
“Coming in strong from the start.”
Sin Uison threw his body surely even while surprised. He felt the sensation of the ball barely grazing his fingertips.
‘I stopped it!’
Watching the shot that curved upward, Sin Uison gave a small smile.
But there was no time to rejoice.
Because the second shot was already flying in.
“Hup!”
To block the ball heading to the opposite corner, Sin Uison stretched his leg out straight. It barely hit the top of his foot and bounced outward.
Unlike penalty save training, shooting save training did not give a set number of chances.
Within a time limit of 1 minute, he had to record as many saves as possible.
“Seven!”
Around the time he blocked the seventh shot, Sin Uison, who had been holding his breath and concentrating, finally caught his breath.
But as if not giving him even that brief moment, the shadows kept pouring shots at him.
“Damn it!”
Sin Uison stretched his hand with effort, but the ball had already crossed the goal line. Thus, the number of times he missed the ball gradually began to increase.
【Calculating score!】
“Haah, haah!”
The moment the training ended, Sin Uison collapsed right then and there and breathed roughly.
【Rewards vary depending on training results……】
【Grade C】
-> Surely you aren’t thinking of being satisfied with this, are you?
“Say whatever you want.”
Sin Uison wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered. Even though it was a dream, physical fatigue and pain were felt just the same. It was fortunate that they didn’t accumulate into reality.
He looked at the screen window while lying down.
Grade C.
Compared to F, he had definitely obtained more experience.
One might think ‘Is it only a C?’ but considering he used to get only F on the first day, it was certainly an improved performance.
‘Anyway, there’s only one answer.’
Training. Whether in reality or in dreams, tireless training was the only answer.
He couldn’t waste even a single opportunity.
***
West Ham’s reserves’ opponent this time was Aston Villa’s reserves.
Today, the goalkeeper gloves for West Ham’s reserves were, as expected, worn by Sin Uison.
‘If this is also the feeling of a changed world, then is it a feeling of a changed world?’
Even if it was merely the reserves, Sin Uison had never firmly solidified his position until now.
In the youth team, after returning from injury, he had struggled to adapt to a new position.
In the reserves, he had fought a difficult battle for the starting spot.
‘Though that was also because the existing goalkeepers all left.’
The previous starting goalkeeper for the reserves had left for another team to secure a place in the first team.
‘What should I do?’
His contract expired next summer.
Would the club offer a contract extension?
Or if he left on his own, that would be that.
But would there be a place to go?
‘In the end, I have to promote myself.’
A professional club is not a charity. Whether it was West Ham or another club, there had to be merit for them to offer him a contract.
‘I wish I could play in a first-team cup match even……’
The possibility was slim.
With Adrian holding the starting spot, they would probably use Jussi Jääskeläinen for cup matches.
For now, performing in reserve team matches was the best method.
“There are quite a few scouts visible today.”
“Is that Leeds’ scouting team?”
“I see Derby too.”
Norris whistled as he looked at the equipment set up in the stands.
This guy, too, was finding it difficult to break into the first team, so it was realistic for him to stand out to scouts and go on loan or transfer.
Therefore, ahead of today’s match, the atmosphere among both teams’ players was heightened.
Because the January transfer window was beginning soon.
Players who had decided to leave to secure their own positions had no intention of missing this opportunity with scouts watching.
[You’re putting in more power than usual.]
‘You noticed?’
Sin Uison, who had been warming up, affirmed. Of course, Sin Uison was no different in not wanting to miss that opportunity.
Beeeep!
The match began.
Aston Villa’s reserves pushed West Ham’s reserves back through aggressive pressing.
“What the hell did these bastards eat?!”
Norris, who could barely touch the ball, got annoyed.
Even though he was a decent player at the reserve team level, his plays were blocked at every turn today.
He might be getting impatient because another club’s scouting team had come.
Anyway.
This situation was not good for West Ham.
“Hmmm.”
West Ham’s reserve team manager also chewed on his ballpoint pen when the match wasn’t going well.
Still, if there was one fortunate thing.
It was that they hadn’t conceded a goal.
Sin Uison reached his hand toward the corner of the goal and deflected the ball without difficulty. He had added a save despite a sudden, difficult curving shot.
Sin Uison bounced the ball on the grass once with a composed appearance.
Considering the team wasn’t playing well, it was more manageable than he thought.
[Isn’t that foreshadowing?]
‘What foreshadowing?’
[Foreshadowing of death or defeat.]
‘What an ill-omened remark.’
Clicking his tongue, Sin Uison passed to a nearby teammate.
Sin Uison’s current performance had become a topic even in the league that reserve teams participated in, that is, the U23 league.
Going purely by stats, he was at the top level.
But football is not a sport played by one player alone.
The beginning of the creaking was in the midfield.
West Ham’s reserves, who could hardly advance forward, eventually played back passes and began backpedaling to avoid the opposing players who kept pressing.
“Hey! What are you coming back for?!”
Sin Uison yelled in anger.
But it was already beyond the level of stopping just because he told them to stop.
It was just like watching a buffalo being attacked by a pack of hyenas.
“Now! Press just that bastard!”
The starving hyenas’ eyes gleamed.
The hyenas who eventually succeeded in taking the ball immediately launched a counterattack.
“Fucking hell.”
West Ham’s reserve center back spat out curses.
The sight of four of them running at them was quite frightening.
With only two center backs remaining in the defense, they had to drag out as much time as possible.
Aston Villa, knowing that too, advanced steadily based on their numerical advantage.
If a center back came rushing out, they would be grateful. Because one pass could immediately create a one-on-one chance.
“We’re fucked.”
Just as Sin Uison had muttered.
The foreboding did not miss its mark.
In trying to clear the ball before the attackers advanced any further, the player had ended up taking an opponent’s ankle along with it.
Beep!
The referee blew his whistle and declared a foul.
The problem was that it was inside the penalty area.
In other words.
A penalty kick was awarded.