"Paul Smith!"
When we gathered in the evening, the name of the substitute goalkeeper came out of Kevin Keegan's mouth, and one goal and two goals were almost unbeatable.
"Alas!" A series of sighs came from the team.
Interestingly, although Southampton has been relegated to the English Championship, there are currently seven goalkeepers on the team!
Even giants like Manchester United and Arsenal cannot match Southampton in terms of number of goalkeepers.
"Jones...Fernandez...Powell...the last one is..."
The English League is different from other leagues, with only 16 players on the roster.
Of the five people on the bench, Kevin Keegan is used to bringing a goalkeeper, two forwards, and the remaining two people, a defender and a midfielder.
The two forward positions were already occupied, and Walcott couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment on his face.
Ben's hard training in the past few days will be noticed by the coach, and he will be allowed to play to save his poor performance these days.
In the end, Walcott still didn't hear his name.
Maybe I’m still young!
Walcott could only console himself in this way.
Although Walcott left a deep impression on his teammates during this period of training, no one will be surprised that a boy who is only 17 years old is not selected for the squad.
After all, Walcott has not yet fully integrated into the team. In comparison, Fernandez, who is ten years older than him, has more authority.
But the name Kevin Keegan read out next surprised everyone.
"winter!"
A simple syllable makes everyone focus on one person.
There is no doubt that in the choice of the last midfielder, Kevin Keegan actually chose Wang Xiaodong, who is the same age as Walcott!
"Hey, Mr. Keegan, it's rare that you have the insight to recognize a talented person!" Wang Xiaodong said proudly.
The looks from other people were quite exciting, some were disdainful, some were suspicious, and some were contemptuous.
There are various reasons why Wang Xiaodong joined the team, and people are more willing to believe that Wang Xiaodong came in through Kevin Keegan's back door.
As for the car accident, it was rumored by the outside world that Wang Xiaodong was just showing off for everyone.
An "intentional" car accident gave Wang Xiaodong a legitimate reason to "pay compensation" to Kevin Keegan.
As for how many benefits Wang Xiaodong has given, judging from the fact that he was included in the 16-man roster in the fourth game after joining the team, it is obvious that he has paid a lot.
Especially Walcott, his eyes almost burst into flames when he looked at Wang Xiaodong.
Why is he young and lacks tacit understanding with his teammates?
It's all nonsense!
Why can he be selected and I can't?
"What are you looking at? Are you jealous of me?"
Before Walcott could speak, Wang Xiaodong took over an army.
"Little kitten, how are you? I told you a long time ago that I was chosen based on my strength! Just wait for me to kill everyone on the court, hahahahaha~~~"
"Hmph, then I hope you aim a little more and don't aim at your own goal!" Walcott gritted his teeth, "I really didn't expect that Mr. Keegan would give up this game."
"Well, maybe, what if I blow up the opponent?"
"It's just you? Humph! It doesn't matter whether you can catch the ball or not!"
Just when Walcott and Wang Xiaodong were arguing, a hand was put on Walcott's shoulder.
"Theo, don't be discouraged. Maybe that guy won't even be able to play! The coach may have put him on the roster because of his arm strength and asked him to carry the water dispenser!"
As a veteran of the team, Harpas felt it was his duty to step forward and comfort the geniuses on the team.
But he didn't expect that Wang Xiaodong was also a master who was unwilling to be outdone. After hearing the other party's ridicule, he immediately replied: "Yes, some people don't even have the strength to move the water dispenser, so they can only watch others play in the stands. "
As a center forward, Harper can be regarded as an old man in Southampton.
Most of the forwards have left since the team was relegated, but Harper has not left yet.
This is not because he is loyal to the team. On the contrary, it is because no one wants him.
Southampton has introduced nine forwards this season, including Theo Walcott. Among so many competitors, the 29-year-old Harper still plays a role as a training partner in the team.
Needless to say, he himself saw his future.
Now, having been poked in a painful spot by Wang Xiaodong, Harper's eyes were also filled with viciousness.
"Hmph, you are a brat who doesn't even know how to respect your seniors. Maybe this is the only time in your life that you will be selected for the squad!"
.....
The game is about to begin, and the atmosphere inside the bus is a bit solemn.
As a team that has competed in the Premier League, it does not mean that Southampton has the average strength of the Premier League.
On the contrary, Southampton is currently struggling in the British Championship and has not won a single victory so far.
If the team only aims to avoid relegation, then winning is not actually very important, as long as it does not lose; but the team's goal this season is to advance, then it must show 200% of its strength.
You must know that there are only 20 teams in the Premier League, while there are 24 in the English Championship!
In this game against the away team Wolves, Kevin Keegan's tactics only had two words: attack!
It’s impossible not to win!
Even if the defense is beaten into pieces, the team will still score more goals than their opponents!
Kevin Keegan needs a win to solidify his position as head coach.
In the back seat of the bus, Wang Xiaodong was counting the aiming charms he had accumulated over the past few days.
There are 13 advanced aiming spells, 14 intermediate ones, and 19 elementary ones.
If he can really play, he can play the ball 46 times, which is already a very high number. If you want to be extravagant, Wang Xiaodong can use spells to increase everything from short passes to shots.
"I hope Wolves' goalkeeper is mediocre!"
...
August 20, Molineux.
Southampton's opponent this time is Wolverhampton Wanderers, nicknamed Wolves.
This is a veteran team that has a history of 128 years as of this year. It is also a founding member of the English Football League.
The Wolves were revived around the 1950s, but by the 1980s, the Wolves' performance had been declining. More than ten years ago, this team, which fell from Class A to Class D, began to slowly revive.
After experiencing three defeats in the promotion play-offs, it finally broke into the Premier League in 2003 and became the 38th new face after the establishment of the Premier League.
But unfortunately, the Wolves ranked bottom that season and fell into the First Division.
It was also this year that the English League One was officially renamed the English Championship.
After tasting the sweetness of the Premier League, Wolves, like Southampton, have always regarded returning to the Premier League as the director of the season.
This season, apart from losing to Leeds United in the first game, Wolves first defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 and then defeated Hull City 1-0 away from home.
Returning to play at home this time, the Wolves, with high morale, have begun to look forward to three consecutive victories.
At this time, Molineux Stadium was bustling with people, and only 3,000 tickets were sold to visiting fans in a stadium that could accommodate 2.8 million people.
Rebecca sat in the press box early, staring at the tunnel entrance on the lower right side of the stand with wide eyes.
"Will Dong really show up?"
Southampton announced their sixteen-man squad yesterday, and the names that appeared on the list surprised all the Saints.
The Saints never expected that Wang Xiaodong would be on the list so quickly.
Although he is a substitute and not a starter, what does this mean?
Is Kevin Keegan going to break the bank?
After losing three consecutive games, the England hero's idea was to insert a young man under the age of 18 into the squad?
The saints were furious, and someone had already shouted for get out of class to end.
This is nonsense!
Is this a time to train new people?
As a famous head coach, doesn’t Keegan even understand this?
In the visiting team's stands at Molineux Stadium, some extreme fans even displayed "NODONG" banners to oppose Wang Xiaodong's appearance.
Before the game even started, the scene was filled with an inexplicable smell of gunpowder.
The fans of the home team were confused. They couldn't figure out what kind of medicine Southampton was selling.
After a while, Wang Xiaodong's figure really appeared from the player tunnel.
In an instant, there was a burst of boos in the visiting team's stands.
"Hey, are you guys here to welcome me?" Seeing so many fans giving him thumbs up, Wang Xiaodong's temper also rose.
He went straight to the visiting team's stand, opened his arms and shouted to the three thousand saints: "Thank you, thank you for not coming hundreds of miles to support me! Come on, louder, louder! Let me hear that you are all sound!!!"
As he spoke, Wang Xiaodong put his right hand next to his right ear and pointed it at the stands. Squinting your eyes, it's like listening to a large symphony.
"Shh~~Shh~~~"
"shameless!"
"Get out of here, you damn guy!"
"What qualifications do you have to appear on the court!"
The angrier the fans are, the happier Wang Xiaodong is.
The Wolves players on the side were stunned.
What's happening here?
Is this some new way of refueling?
How can any player excite his fans before the game even starts?
Just as Wang Xiaodong was directing his fans to boo him, a pair of little feet in the VIP seats kept jumping up and waving.
"Wow, Dong, Dong?! Is it you? It's really you!!!"
Emma's two big eyes flashed with endless joy: "After waiting for three games, you are finally going to play!"
