Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 173

173: 5 Losses in a Row

The Rifle Volunteer Inn, a favorite haunt of Burnley residents.

A small, cozy pub located two blocks south of the New Turf Moor, where reconstruction is nearing completion.

They barely have anything you could call an actual side dish besides chips sprinkled generously with salt, but their self-made Guinness is superb. It’s a place where the regulars think of having a pint after work as one of life’s little pleasures.

And also, this place is the unofficial headquarters of the Burnley Football Club official supporters club.

The club politely declined the club’s offer to provide office space at New Turf Moor for the official supporters, and the real reason they chose The Rifle Volunteer Inn was because they could drink beer to their heart’s content under the guise of meetings.

However, the expressions on the faces of the regulars sipping beer while staring at the large screen hanging next to the bar on the first floor were as dark as could be.

[…It seems like Dyche’s position is in jeopardy.]

A deathly silence fell over both the studio and the pub at the panel’s comment coming from the TV.

After a long pause, the host cautiously opened his mouth.

[…Considering what happened at the end of last season, and even when they went to a penalty shootout against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup this season, it’s really hard to imagine…]

[…That’s because the squad turnover was too big! This is the fault of the Football Director…]

One of the panelists pointed out, unable to contain his frustration at the host’s words, and another panelist countered him.

[…No, it’s because the injuries to key players were too severe! How can the manager or football director control that!]

[…Managing the squad is the manager’s job!]

The two panelists started arguing, raising the temperature.

They had been arguing about the same topic for the past couple of months, gradually increasing the heat, but the host nodded and intervened between the two.

[…Let’s hear from each of you one at a time.]

[…I think we’ve already talked about it enough…]

The panelist said, glaring at the other panelist.

[…Burnley had too much squad turnover in the summer transfer window. A whopping nine players left the first team from last season, and 12 new players were signed. Even two of them got injured two weeks before the season started! It’s only natural that the team isn’t gelling.]

[…That was also the case in the summer transfer window last year…]

[…So what happened then?!]

He cut off his fellow panelist’s remarks.

[…Even at the beginning of last season, Burnley struggled with organizational issues and their performance was erratic. If I remember correctly, they had three wins and four losses in the Premier League during August and September…]

[…It was four wins and three losses, but please continue.]

The host interjected slightly to correct the numbers.

[…Anyway! They only managed to win half of their games. Of course, releasing older veterans and signing promising young players helped with rebuilding in the long term, but in the short term, there were many problems with their performance.]

[…But they solved it! Anyway, last season Burnley finished 4th and won the Carabao Cup and the Europa League!]

Another panelist who had been listening from the side started talking as soon as his colleague’s remarks were over, as if he was frustrated.

[…A team like Burnley, which inevitably has to keep changing its squad, is bound to be shaken at the beginning of the season. Frankly, even Manchester United, led by Sir Alex Ferguson, was notorious for being a slow starter!]

[…But they never started a season like this before.]

A moment of silence flowed through the studio at the Manchester United legend’s gloomy answer.

The Burnley residents gathered at The Rifle Volunteer Inn, who had been listening to the panelists’ conversation over the TV, emptied their beer glasses as if trying to drown their gloom in alcohol and glumly ordered another drink, while the second panelist explained his point of view as if his excitement had subsided a little.

[…Anyway, I think injuries are a bigger factor in ruining the beginning of this season. There’s no way that manager Hyungmin Kim or Burnley’s football director Jonathan Landris didn’t know that there would be organizational problems at the beginning of the season. That’s why they went on a training camp in Korea for almost a month, right? But the problem is that there have been a lot of injuries.]

Burnley’s injury list appeared on the large screen behind the panelists.

[…First of all, Adam Hlozek will probably only be able to return after Christmas, and Kane Lewis-Potter is also cutting it close to returning by December. In addition, Sebastian Szymański, who led the attack from midfield last season with 11 goals and 13 assists, will also have to wait until December to return.]

The panelist, whose face darkened as if he was also feeling depressed, continued his explanation.

[…Benjamin Šeško will probably be able to return in early October, and I know that André Anderson has a similar return schedule. In fact, it’s as if the attack has been wiped out. Lorenzo Lucca is a sensation this season, but he can’t lead the attack alone. Any team is bound to be weakened if three of their best eleven players are out with long-term injuries, and Burnley already has a thin squad.]

[…Anyway, they’re playing with 24 players this season, so it’s a bit better than before.]

The panelist sitting next to him pointed out bluntly, but his face was not bright.

[…Regardless of whose responsibility it is that so many injuries have occurred, I think everyone will agree that Burnley’s current situation is not good.]

In the gloomy atmosphere of the studio, the host tried to keep the conversation going.

[…Burnley has now lost their first five Premier League games in a row. Even against Tottenham, who they had dominated last season with three wins and three losses, they were completely defeated 5-1.]

A 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the first round of the Premier League.

A 3-1 defeat to Newcastle in the second round of the Premier League.

A 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the Premier League.

A 5-1 defeat to Tottenham in the fourth round of the Premier League.

And a 2-1 defeat in the fifth round of the Premier League against Norwich, a newly promoted team that they naturally thought they would win against and break the chain of defeats.

Lorenzo Lucca was putting in a good fight, scoring four goals on his own in the first five games, but while the team scored four goals, they conceded 13 goals, resulting in a goal difference of -9 goals.

With 0 points and stuck in 20th place in the Premier League standings, the atmosphere among the host and panelists was all gloomy.

In the first game, they thought that the aftermath of the UEFA Super Cup defeat was taking its toll.

In the second game, the focus was on Newcastle, who had made huge reinforcements in the summer transfer market.

From the third game onwards, the critics began to scratch their heads.

From the fourth game onwards, even the Burnley fans, who had almost religious faith in the manager, began to feel a little uneasy.

And now, the fifth defeat.

The football world, which had been saying “no way, no way,” was in shock.

It is impossible to pinpoint exactly what the problem is.

Some games are lost after conceding early and being dragged down, while others are lost after playing well but conceding due to a lack of concentration at the end.

Tottenham was a game that was battered from start to finish.

Whatever the reason, that special something that had made Burnley one of the most difficult opponents in the Premier League for the past two seasons, and Hyungmin Kim the most sought-after young manager in Europe, had disappeared.

There were various criticisms, from Karim Adeyemi’s departure to the loss of enthusiastic support from fans due to the reconstruction of Turf Moor, but in fact, Karim Adeyemi was not there at the beginning of the first season, and the general seating at New Turf Moor was completed before the season started.

Amidst all sorts of scientific analyses and superstitions, everyone disagreed on the exact reason.

[…No one thinks that Burnley will be relegated this season, but I’m worried about how much more time Burnley’s executives can give to a manager who has suffered five consecutive defeats.]

The host pointed out in a voice dripping with concern for the young Asian master who had emerged like a comet over the past two seasons and dragged the underdog team of Burnley to the top of the Premier League.

The fairytale story that no one wanted to end was facing a crisis.

There were many football officials who were fascinated by Burnley’s intense football, which was played with a large number of promising players, and the host and panelists gathered in the studio were no exception.

Timely, the video of the defeat against Norwich yesterday was playing on the large screen behind them.

After the fifth defeat, the Burnley fans were unfolding a large banner and singing a new chant fiercely towards the manager who had lowered his head.

As the host and panelists stared at the screen with bitter expressions at the crimson letters clearly engraved on the white banner, one of the panelists muttered.

[…But at this point, it’s simply physically impossible for Burnley to find a better manager than Hyungmin Kim.]

***

Beep!

Suddenly, the TV screen went dark.

“Come on out.”

“Huh…?”

Hyungmin, who was watching TV while buried in the sofa in his office, was startled by Helena’s firm touch as she approached and grabbed his wrist.

“Helena?”

“Come on, quickly! Follow me quickly!”

Hyungmin, half-dragged out of his office, was pulled by Helena and walked quickly down the darkened hallway of the Barnfield Training Centre.

“You won’t find the answer by holing yourself up in that room.”

“Then…”

“Just follow me!”

The path that Helena led Hyungmin down was the same path that the two of them had walked together back in March, which already felt like a long time ago.

Just like then, it was dark, and the wind blowing over the River Calder next to the Barnfield Training Centre was already getting cold.

Unlike last time, it was cloudy and no moon or stars were visible, but Helena didn’t care and grabbed Hyungmin’s hand and pulled him along.

“Where are we going?”

Hyungmin asked as he followed Helena, who was walking along a deserted path for a long time, approaching the village of Padiham next to Burnley, but then circling back around.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Both of them were walking quickly, but just like last time, the silence that lingered between them was not uncomfortable.

As they passed through the outskirts of Burnley and climbed a low hill, Helena finally stopped as if they had reached their destination and gestured for Hyungmin to go further.

“Ah…!”

As he climbed the last few steps, it came into view.

He didn’t need her explanation of what he was looking at.

Hyungmin took a step forward without realizing it at the sight of the brightly lit lights and the still faintly audible sounds of the construction site.

The entire view of the construction site, where the box seats had already been completed and the roof installation phase had begun, unfolded before his eyes.

Although it is not particularly high or steep, the closeness that makes it seem like you can grab the entire view of the stadium right in front of your eyes, even from the back seats.

It has only hosted two games so far, but players and spectators alike are unanimously talking about its specialness, and critics and the media are enthusiastically praising it.

Hyungmin gasped at the sight of the New Turf Moor, which is already being hailed as the most beautiful football-specific stadium in the northwest of England, where you can even feel the players’ breathing and sweat from the stands.

“How is it? Isn’t it great?”

Helena, who had come up next to him and was quietly watching the scene, said with her arms crossed.

“Sometimes I deliberately take this way home from work to watch the construction scene.”

“Yes, it’s great.”