In spite of the previous day's 2–0 lose of Lorient, the local media only included the obvious in their articles. Particularly Havre Daily had nothing but praise for the new interim manager as although they were critical of the team's first half performance, they painted Le Havre in a new light during the second half. Havre Daily stated the penalty for Lorient was a "silly officiating mistake" and that if not for the penalty, Le Havre would have gotten a late equaliser with the momentum falling his way.
Laneir didn't know the exact way in which Marley handled the media personal. He had heard whispers of how Marley caused an absolute ruckus with all the footballing news outlet, but somehow managed to contain them.
For a moment Lanier imagined a scene. That Marley absolutely bossed the press conference. The young coach had a laugh to himself, his imagination probably wasn't too far from the truth as he understood the authoritative nature of Marley's conversations.
As Lanier walked through the club grounds, for the first time he felt proud as a player. He felt courageous and gratified by his status. Even as he took a casual stroll past their esteemed youth academy, the scrawny kids that would mistaken him as a casual fan before would recognise him as a first-team coach.
But another matter is on his mind. He could have all these meaningless pondering, but his role as an Out-Of-Possession coach isn't just for show, he had a job and a duty to fulfil.
The coach made his way into headquarters. The large building dwarfed the youth academy facilities he used to work at. He had a clear destination in mind, but didn't know the direction he must take.
"Sorry, you know where the manager's office is?" Lanier asked a cleaner that was busy wiping the floor of the corridor with his small paper mat.
"It's the end of the corridor to the right. The hall is on your left."
Lanier showed his gratitude and followed the directions given. "Thanks"
~~~
The youthful coach knocked lightly before opening the door. What greeted him was the fatso busy tidying up the place, with a box of his belongings on the floor and the deck filled with loose pieces of paper. Nearby, Hugo had a cloth held in hand as he was wiping the surfaces.
Lanier was confused, bewildered even. "Marley? You called for me?"
"Yeah! Grab a towel and help get rid of those cobwebs in the corner. This place needs some tidying."
Lanier walked closer to his manager. "Dirty place, Marley. But nice view. even on a rainy day."
"Quit talking and do something, I had been cleaning this room since last night. I swear Nobilo didn't realise the club hired cleaners." Marley scolded with a tone of indignation, his voice raised.
Lanier walked over, taking towel before hurrying under the manager's orders. With the rain being in the backdrop, the three coaches were kept busy cleaning the manager's office. An hour passed before long, the three wiped a sweat off their head as a sense of fulfillment entered their heart. The previous filthy room finally became presentable, one fitting for a manager of a historic club like Le Havre.
Marley pattered his clothes, layers of dust fell off his clothes as he sneezed a few times. Then, the manager spun the luxurious chair around as he sat firmly on the seat that he had coveted. Marley had a silly smile of his face as he finally take in the fact that the manager's office, his office, was ready.
"Thanks for helping." Marley opened his eyes and looked at the young coach.
"No problem." Lanier took out a square shaped package from his suit pocket, "Here is the one I promised you."
"Thank you." Marley placed the package on his desk, opened it and plucked out the contents.
"Whoa, my favourite! Chocolate wafers!"
Lanier looked around the room. "Well, this is to welcome the new manager, so I think this is the right time."
"Congrats." Hugo simply uttered as he took a seat on the couch near the back corner.
After savouring the chocolate wafers, Marley finally resisted his inner hunger as he regrettable put his snack in a desk drawer. Finally refocussing on his two assistants, Marley brought up the true purpose of why they were summoned.
"What do you think of Nobilo's 352? We have all seen them up close and personal, but I don't know how we should approach this problem."
"Hmm..." Lanier contemplated for a minute, "It's definitely time to have a sit down and talk about this."
Marley, Lanier and Hugo, now that they have cleaned the room, started on the main topic.
"Energy. The team lack energy." Lanier simply stated as he had his arms crossed, his brows creased.
"Energy? Hmm..." Hugo picked up his head, then continued as he got his legs in motion, "Well, we can correct that by changing a few things. Just having the right players would be half the battle. We can inject the squad with some academy players, but most won't be able to step up for the challenge. "
"And I doubt they can cope with the pressure."
Lanier sighed and shook his head, "I know. But it's still not right. I feel, a new beginning, from changing the players we have to new ones that can live up to the challenge, and maybe, hopefully bringing some much needed quality to our squad."
"We do have the winter transfer window." Marley noted. "But bringing in players that would want to be in a relegation battle is impossible, not to mention the fact that we are financially limited."
"Hmm...True." Hugo shook his head as he pushed on, "I guess we have to made do with what we already have. And we do. We have some young talents, with raw talent that we can nurture. But, even then, our squad is definitely lacking in certain areas."
"I don't think that's a good thing." Lanier spoke dejectedly. "There's still half a season to go, we have to do something to get the most out of them. There's no other choice. That's what I thought."
Marley smirked, "The night is still young. Let's think of ways to get results. What did you say Lanier? Our team lack energy?"
"Yeah, I mean, just from last night's match. Even though the players ran their heart out for the second half, it's not a sustainable work rate."
Hugo turned his head, "So it is going to be our mission to look for some new players who can energise the squad? How about Crescenzo Rivera, I'm certain he has the physicality to contribute to the first team. And don't forget Kai Chiu! I was surprised you gave him his debut last match but he almost gotten himself an assist!"
"I don't think we can, Hugo." Marley started. "Let's forget the youngsters for now. I need a strategy to get these old man win some games."
"Agreed." Lanier sighed. "I guess we need control over the game."
"Well, control over the team. If you have a strategy, you can't go on the offensive. So when we don't have the ball, we need to focus on holding onto possession and dictating the tempo of the game. If the opposition are allowed to play, then you're on the back foot, which is dangerous."
Lanier clapped his hands together. "Good. I don't have to tell you, but I do. The squad needs to be ready. The season is already halfway through and we've dropping points match after match. At the end of this season, we need to have more points on the board."
Marley put his hands on his knees and raised his head, "And that's why I'm here, that's why we are all here Lanier. Let's get some points."
"Where do I start?" Lanier asked, biting his lips, as if searching for an answer.
"Let's rework how the squad should play the game. Instruct them to stop hitting those hopeful through balls and start working the ball into the box in a controlled manner. Increase the players' work rate but ensure that they keep possession of the ball. Remember the target. The number that we are aiming for, the points that we need to keep us in the league."
Lanier nodded and stood up. He felt an air of excitement in his chest and heart, but no time to revel. "Okay." Hugo also understood his excitement, the coach is on his feet as he received a new direction on the training ground.
~~~
[ Requirement Fulfilled! ]
[ 250 Player Points Reached ]
[ Do you wish to purchase a Lucky Draw? ]
[ 250 Players Points would be deducted upon purchase ]
[ Yes/No ]
Kai stared at the system prompt in front of himself. He had been thinking through about what could happen if he selected the [ Yes ] option. The player long grew used to the system, but this was still the first time he had ever seen such a thing occur to himself.
Lucky Draw? This was the first time he had seen the system telling him this was even a thing! Should he do it? Nothing bad would happen right? He had read plenty of webnovels in the past and lucky draws always rewards the host something invaluable.
Kai deliberated his action. What would he get if he activated the lucky draw?
Sitting on the bench, Kai was taking a break from the training as he eyed the senior players that were on the pitch. Compared to them, the Asian player stood out like a sore thumb compared to those old men. It was only hours before the match that Kai had been noticed he was promoted to the First Team. It came in late but Kai somehow rushed through the process and made himself available for the match.
Kai was an outcast here, he didn't know anyone.
[ Yes ]
Kai confirmed his option to purchase the lucky draw. He held his breath for what would happen next.
Suddenly, the system panel changed as he saw a slots machine in front of him. Beside him there was a lever, which Kai suspected he must pull to activate the lucky draw.
[ 250 Player Points deducted ]
[ Lucky Draw activated ]
[ Please pull the lever ]
Kai followed the instruction. The slots machine continued to spin and various images flashed past the screen.
[ Lucky Draw Success ]
Kai stared at the system, eagerly awaiting what would be his reward.