Dad was a Genius - Chapter 8
Only Noblemtl
My Dad Was a Genius Episode 008
“You made a really good mistake.”
Chairman Cha said while slurping down warm tea.
“Without even asking my permission.”
“My second oldest brother told me to tell him whenever I needed money for the club. He said he would push me really hard, so after much thought, I made up my mind and went ahead and bought it.”
“You’re talking like you’re worrying. When I listened to the second story, I heard that he immediately brought up the idea of doubling his salary. Was this what you were thinking from the beginning?”
I smiled and answered Chairman Cha’s question.
“Thanks to you, the players’ morale is through the roof. I will do my best to make sure that the investment is not in vain, club owner.”
Mr. Club Owner.
I called Chairman Cha that.
He probably thought I was joking, but the truth is that it’s hard for me to say the word ‘father’. So I feel sorry for no reason.
Chairman Cha burst into laughter, not knowing whether he knew what I was thinking or not.
“What a shameless guy.”
Then, as if they had been waiting, my older brothers and sister came forward.
“Father, isn’t our youngest son great? From what I’ve heard from the team, our coaches and players have been praising our Seong-eun a lot.”
“That’s right, Father. Unlike before, my expectations for the youngest have grown.”
“Was it that much? Wow~ I guess our youngest takes after his father a lot, but he’s definitely good at controlling people.”
Then Chairman Cha narrowed his eyes slightly and said.
“Of course, that’s because he threw money at them. Which player wouldn’t praise him if he was given a double salary? And… … The money is all coming out of my pocket, so why is he the one making a fuss?”
“Haha. But our youngest is determined to do it right this time, so shouldn’t we definitely support him?”
“That’s right, Dad. If not now, then when else would we get to push Seong-eun so hard?”
“Tsk. The cost of pushing so hard is really expensive.”
When I looked closely at Chairman Cha’s expression, he seemed to be in a very good mood.
Although he showed the unprecedented move of doubling his annual salary, it was probably not a large sum of money for Chairman Cha because there were many players with low salaries.
In addition, the youngest, who was known to be able to do things roughly, seemed to be trying hard, and the evaluations from those around him were getting better, so they seemed to be accepting it positively.
Well then… …should we try it again here?
“Sir.”
I took a serious stance and spoke to Chairman Cha.
“Since you’re spending money on me, why don’t you spend it on me one more time?”
Chairman Cha almost spit out the tea he was drinking.
“What, what is it?”
It was the same with the other brothers.
“The tactics I plan to use this season will inevitably be hard on the players. That’s why, above all, we need medical coaches, and they need to be skilled. That would require a lot of money. I want to form the best medical coaching staff in the K-League.”
“… … .”
The brothers and sisters looked at Chairman Cha in silence.
Chairman Cha stared blankly at me, then chuckled and drank again from his teacup.
and,
“Yes. You just raid my barns.”
Chairman Cha’s permission was granted.
The funny thing is that the brothers were actually sighing in relief.
“Hey. My heart is pounding because of you, really… … .”
“It looks like this guy is really determined to ruin the team this time.”
“What are you going to do if you spend this much money and still can’t escape relegation?”
Escaping relegation… … .
“What are you talking about, bro? I’m not interested in avoiding relegation.”
“What? Then what are you going to do?”
I’m not spending this much money just to avoid relegation.
My goal is of course-.
“It’s a win.”
“… … !?”
The three people were surprised by those words and looked at me like I was crazy.
* * *
October of ’12 was quite a harsh month.
Despite this, the players’ sweat continued to flow endlessly.
“Gasp gasp.”
My breathing is ragged and my vision is blurry.
However, the coach did not stop training and continued to order the players to run.
“No. Until yesterday, we were just doing simple physical tests. Why are you suddenly increasing the training intensity to such an extreme?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Is it okay to just treat it like this?”
“Hey, if we keep going like this, aren’t we all really going to die?”
That was when.
“Don’t worry. We’ve already assessed your physical condition.”
“!?”
The players felt a chill down their spines at the sound of the coach’s voice coming from behind them, which had been there for some time.
“Hey, Director. Were you there?”
Director Cha Seong was smiling brightly.
That sight struck the players like a terror.
“That’s why I’ve designed the program so that you train just enough not to die, just enough not to get injured. So don’t worry, just run hard. Isn’t that why I doubled your salary?”
“… … .”
As they watched Cha Seong-eun disappear after saying those words, the players all had the same thought.
‘It’s the devil!’
I really got it!
That smile and that composure.
He plans to continue training, squeezing the players to their limits until the very end.
And it is up to the players to endure it all.
However, no one dared run away or pretend to be sick to avoid the difficult training.
This is because the contract they signed already included a clause stating that the contract could be terminated at any time if they showed an insincere attitude toward training.
“But is it really true that you can use this tactic just by building up your stamina?”
“Coaches also have mixed reactions. Some praise it as a groundbreaking tactic, while others question whether it is really a feasible tactic.”
“I don’t know. I’m going to die while training, whether it’s tactics or something.”
After that hellish physical training.
“Whew-.”
“Ugh. I can’t move any more.”
All the players lay down on the floor and sprawled out.
But the coaches went around and picked up those players.
“Training isn’t over yet.”
“Yes? Hey, is there anything else you want to do here?”
“Okay. Let’s try out the coach’s tactics. We’re going to have a practice game, so everyone stand up.”
“If you have any health problems, tell me. However, I won’t leave alone anyone who pretends to be sick.”
“crazy…….”
You could tell that the new medical coaches who joined this time were veterans just by looking at their appearance.
They were able to accurately determine where the players were feeling unwell and whether the players were faking an illness.
That’s why I couldn’t pretend to be sick even if I wanted to.
“The manager said he would interview each player individually. Lee Kang-cheol, please go to the manager’s office.”
This was the only time I had time to rest.
The manager calls the players one by one and interviews them.
And the first to be nominated was goalkeeper Lee Kang-cheol, who broke everyone’s expectations and became the new captain of the Cheonan team.
“Did you call, Director?”
“Oh, yes. Lee Kang-cheol. Please sit here.”
Lee Kang-cheol had no way of knowing what director Cha Seong-eun was thinking.
Moreover, when I looked into those eyes that seemed to see right through me, I felt like my true feelings would all be revealed.
“Are you worried these days? Are you more nervous than usual?”
As expected!
Director Cha Seong-eun was completely looking into himself.
Are you learning some kind of poison?
“It makes sense since he was suddenly appointed as captain. I’m sure you’re curious about what that bastard director is up to.”
“… … .”
Kang-cheol Lee, who had his true feelings exposed as if he were completely naked, became a mute who had eaten honey.
“The reason I appointed Lee Kang-cheol as captain is because the tactic our team will use this time, Gegenpressing, places the goalkeeper’s role above all else.”
Cha Seong-eun continued her explanation while kindly showing the computer screen.
“Gegenpressing is when defenders raise their line extremely high to block the opponent’s short passes and create a counterattack opportunity. But on the other hand, when the defensive line collapses, it is very easy to create a 1-on-1 opportunity with the goalkeeper.”
So, in the end, are you saying that we should develop one-on-one defense skills?
But goalkeeper Lee Kang-cheol also knows his own saving ability well.
His goal-saving skills are just average, like other goalkeepers.
No. Maybe less than that.
This is because Cheonan has been giving up so many goals in the meantime that their confidence has been low.
This led to him being relegated to the role of substitute goalkeeper.
That’s why I started to wonder, “Is it really right for me to be the captain of this team?”
however-.
“What I expect from Lee Kang-cheol is not a defensive ability like Yashin.”
“……yes?”
If what you want from a goalkeeper isn’t to make saves, then what else do you expect?
“I think that goals that are meant to be scored will be scored anyway. There are some goalkeepers who show unparalleled blocking ability, but in the end, even they will get blocked when they are meant to be. So what else, other than blocking ability, makes the difference between goalkeepers?”
Lee Kang-cheol couldn’t find the words to respond.
Then Cha Seong-eun answered on his behalf.
“That’s the kick.”
Then he showed the screen again.
There, the goalkeeper Lee Kang-cheol’s appearance during the game was captured.
“I closely examined the matches and training videos in which Lee Kang-cheol played.”
Not someone else’s video, but mine? And in such detail?
Lee Kang-cheol couldn’t help but be surprised.
“What impressed me the most was this scene. Can you see it? He ran from far away to intercept the opponent’s long pass, kicked the ball, and passed the ball accurately to his teammate. This is the outstanding talent of Lee Kang-cheol.”
Outstanding talent.
It was the first time in my entire career playing soccer that I had heard such praise.
“You can develop your blocking ability through training, but this kicking power and the composure to send a long pass to your teammates at that critical moment are not things that can be developed through training. And that’s exactly the kind of goalkeeper we need in our Gegenpressing tactic.”
The weak point of Gegenpressing was the long pass.
If someone throws a long pass at a striker with excellent line-breaking ability, he will be caught defenseless.
But what if the goalkeeper blocks it in advance?
“Lee Kang-cheol, you will be the guardian angel of our Cheonan team.”
Lee Kang-cheol felt his heart pounding violently up and down.
I’ve met many training coaches and managers over the years, but I’ve never met anyone who got me this excited.
It’s not just because you complimented me and gave me confidence.
There was something about the tactics that Cha Seong-eun showed and the confidence that came with explaining them that inspired others.
It felt like all the fatigue from the hard training just now was gone.
* * *
“… … .”
After finishing his interview with the coach, Lee Kang-cheol returned to the training ground with a blank expression on his face.
The players who were taking a break saw him and approached him and asked him.
“What did the director say?”
“Why are you having a personal interview?”
Then Lee Kang-cheol spoke with his eyes still hazy.
“Our director… … .”
“huh?”
“I think I might really win.”
“what?”
“This time it really feels different.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Lee Kang-cheol ran towards the coach as if this was not the time.
“I’ll go train right away!”
The players couldn’t help but tilt their heads when Lee Kang-cheol, who had been suffering while wearing the captain’s armband, suddenly showed a 180-degree change in his appearance.
Lee Kang-cheol, who had run all the way to that far place, shouted.
“Oh! And the director told me to come up next.”
Lee Kang-cheol pointed at someone with his hand.
The player pointed to him stood up from his seat, letting out a trembling breath.
* * *
Gegenpressing becomes a wildly popular tactic that has been around since 13-14.
Because it was a tactic that completely destroyed the tiki-taka that made Barcelona the strongest.
The German league was the first to develop and apply this tactic.
Since then, as gegenpressing became widely known, it began to be used in many countries, including the K-League, and increasingly more advanced tactics emerged.
But since this shocking tactic hasn’t been revealed to the world yet, other teams will have no idea what kind of tactic I’m going to come up with.
So, I was trying to apply this complex tactic to this team.
It was a difficult tactic to master, but I believed that our players in Cheonan could do it.
No, I trusted my data.
“It’s not important to make good tactics.”
Because this tactic places such great emphasis on high-intensity physical strength and individual player activity, it requires gradual preparation over several months.
And because the risk of injury due to physical exhaustion was very high, it was necessary to train systematically.
That’s why we first assessed the physical condition of the players through a physical test and then developed a training program accordingly.
“The tasks assigned to individual players are also important.”
So, I called the players in one by one and explained to them what their mission was and how they could fit into this tactic.
Thanks to scout Kim Soo-han, I had players in my squad who could carry out that mission.
“… … .”
I waited with a nervous heart for the next player to come up after Lee Kang-cheol.
A person with a very important position, like a goalkeeper.
One of the most talented players I’ve ever seen.
dripping-.
“Director. This is Kang Dae-ho. May I come in?”
It was my father, Kang Dae-ho.