Fox in the Penalty Area

Although Tony Clark announced the team's goal for the rest of the season in front of the whole team, he specifically told everyone after training that they should not disclose this goal to the outside world:

"...the reason is simple, we don't need to expose ourselves to everyone's gaze and firepower so early. If you don't want to be treated specially by your opponent in the game, then keep your mouth shut. And it's not allowed on social networks Propaganda... to know how many teams will change their minds and tactics when we announce that we want to win the championship. Hide and hide until you can't hide anymore!"

"Tony, do you really think the players can really pay attention to their mouths if they don't talk?" On the way back to the office after training, assistant coach Sam Randyll questioned Clarke's arrangement. "You must know that not everyone can keep their mouths shut. This goal will be known to outsiders sooner or later since you announce it in front of the whole team..."

"It doesn't matter, Sam. Whether the players say it or not, I have to express my opinion. There is always someone who can control my mouth. But if someone doesn't control it...it doesn't matter, we just don't admit it." Clark laughed. , doesn't seem to take what Randall said as a problem.

"Hey Tony, I know it's very common for this kind of person to say one thing before another. I think you're speaking so confidently, but it still leaves me speechless..."

"Because it's not something to be ashamed of, Sam. War is the art of deceit, and so is football. What's the point of lying a little in order to achieve our goals?" Clarke said, smiling, in a good mood.

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After announcing that the team's goal for the season was to win the championship, Leeds City beat Burleigh 2:1 at home. The victory of this game can be regarded as the normal performance of Leeds City.

But to be honest, with Leeds City currently eight points behind the top Stan Park Rangers, whether Leeds City can win the championship, in fact, many times it is not Leeds City's performance, but their competitors.

In this round of the league, the opponent of Stan Park Rangers is Peterborough United, which is the last in the league. Although it is an away game, given the difference in strength between the two teams, there should be no suspense for Stan Park Rangers to win.

As a result, after 90 minutes of the game, the Stan Park Rangers failed to win the opponent.

In the end, the two teams shook hands 0:0 to make a draw!

After losing to Leeds City at home, Rangers were drawn away by Peterborough United.

Maybe the home defeat in the last round and Bernard's injury had a greater impact on the Stan Park Rangers than others thought...

Before the twenty-fifth round between the two teams, the Stan Park Rangers were still 11 points ahead of Leeds City. Now after two league rounds, the lead has shrunk directly to six points:

Stan Park Rangers ranked first with 66 points, followed by Leeds City with 60 points.

When Tony Clark announced in the team that the team was going to win the championship, many people, whether they were coaches or players, were actually half-believed-not everyone wanted to connect with young people like Internet, Williams, Kamara, and Porter. Excited and looking forward to it as well.

They still look at Stan Park Rangers and Leeds City with old eyes. They always feel that even if Stan Park Rangers lose to Leeds City, they still have a huge advantage in the long season. After all, Stan Park Rangers have a thicker bench.

And lineup depth is the most important thing in the long league.

Even if the Stan Park Rangers lose a game to Leeds City, they will win or lose next time, how can Leeds City control it?

As a result, the performance of the Stan Park Rangers so quickly surprised many people who thought so-they were even tied by the newly promoted in the away game!

And anyone who has watched this game will have a question: Is this really the Stan Park Ranger we are familiar with?

"... until the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the Stan Park Rangers couldn't find a way to win the game. They had to accept the result of the draw.

Compared with the last league game, Brooks has made some adjustments to the starting lineup, but they seem to have lost their offensive direction... The Rangers' offense in this game was very hard, like trekking in a swamp, Every fan who is familiar with the Stan Park Rangers can't help but shake their heads..."

This is at the end of the game, the commentator Cox's summary of the performance of the Stan Park Rangers in this game can be described as hitting the nail on the head.

If it weren't for the fact that the Peterborough United team is too weak-the current ranking is at the bottom, and it is very likely to be relegated early-change to a team in the middle ranks, and maybe the Stan Park Rangers can lose the game away.

After the game, some media also believed that this was because Bernard's injury had a great impact on the Stan Park Rangers' offense, but head coach Brooks denied this statement in the post-match press conference. He said that Bernard is indeed very important to the team, but the team's offense is a whole, not to say that without someone, it will be completely unplayable.

Some people also speculate that almost all members of the Stan Park Rangers are out of form in this game, which may have a lot to do with the home loss to Leeds City in the last round of the league. That game had a real impact on the Stan Park Rangers players:

For nearly five years, Stan Park's place in the hearts and minds of Rangers players has been a myth. But this near-superstitious effect is a double-edged sword. They can really gain combat effectiveness here, play a beautiful game and score three points. But if they lose here, the blow to them will obviously be fatal...

Because it's not just losing a game, it's also losing faith!

That's why after losing the game, the Stan Park Rangers players collapsed on the ground, as painful and frustrated as if they were eliminated from the Champions League.

It can even be said that what Leeds City knocked out was not the three points of the Stan Park Rangers, but their soul.

This also explains why the players of the Stan Park Rangers performed on the court as if they lost their souls when they challenged the league "deputy squad leader" (Note 1) Peterborough United in an away game.

But no matter what caused the Stan Park Rangers to fail to win Peterborough United in the away game, the facts are in front of everyone.

The fact is that Stan Park Rangers originally led Leeds City by 11 points, and now they are only 6 points ahead.

Those in the Leeds City team who had been skeptical about the manager's goals before, now have more than half of their doubts dispelled-they seem... actually hopeful that they will have a chance to fight Stan Park Rangers in the league championship. !

Six points is not an unattainable gap. With hard work and a little bit of luck, maybe Stan Park can really be lifted from the throne.

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After determining the goal of the league to compete for the championship, Tony Clark gave up the FA Cup without hesitation.

In the next fifth round of the FA Cup, they challenged Athletic Manchester in an away game. Clark rested many of the main players, including Hu Lai.

Leeds City, who went to the Fraser Stadium with a half-main and half-substitute lineup, lost to Athletic Manchester without any suspense. The score was 0:2. Leeds City, which is good at attacking, failed to score a goal.

Manchester Athletic, who fell behind Stan Park Rangers by as much as 12 points in the league, obviously vented all the fire of their poor state in the league to the FA Cup, a posture of wanting to win the FA Cup.

There is no need for Leeds City to confront them head-on, they lost cleanly.

At the same time, this result also ended the debate among Leeds City fans on the Internet about what goals Leeds City should pursue this season.

After all, the FA Cup, one of the options, no longer exists-all have been eliminated, no matter how you say it, it is impossible to win the FA Cup again.

A moment of solidarity for Leeds City fans.

The FA Cup championship is out of the question, so try to keep the second place in the league. Although there is no championship, it is also very good to be able to qualify for the Champions League next season!

Of course, Leeds City fans said after seeing the current point difference between the two teams: "Why can't we compete for the league championship? The FA Cup championship is hopeless, but isn't the league championship just around the corner?"

Fans who just said so were quickly ridiculed and criticized by others:

"Don't be so fucking ambitious! When you set your sights on the league championship in the distance, you will forget to pay attention to the road under your feet. Is the league championship so easy to win? With the depth of our lineup, we want to be in the marathon. Beat the Stan Park Rangers in the league... Do you really think we can win a championship if we beat them once at Stan Park? Be realistic, man, don't put too much pressure on the team. The results are already satisfactory to the point that I couldn’t be more satisfied!”

The above statement has been recognized by the vast majority of people.

Being down-to-earth is still the consensus of supporters of this team.

After all, in the first two seasons, they were still struggling to relegation. Now let them compete for the league championship all of a sudden... Many people think it is magical and unrealistic-they are still not sure whether they can keep their current league ranking because they are cautious.

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On the training ground of the Stan Park Rangers, everyone was surprised to see captain Harry Bernard, who had just had a meniscus removal operation for a few days.

He stood beside coach Brooks on crutches.

"I'll be back in April and I hope by then it's not a situation where we're being pulled down at the top of the league and that's going to be embarrassing, guys. We're only six points ahead of Leeds and that's not it. A point difference that can be reassuring. But thankfully, we are ahead, not them. So we just need to win game after game. Until I return, I ask everyone to hold on This is a difference of six points!"

Bernard came to the training ground just to say this to his teammates.

After speaking, he left, turned around and left, walking very simply, without even turning his head.

It seems that he is really relieved to pin all his hopes of winning the league championship on his teammates.

In the twenty-seventh round of the league, Leeds City first defeated Holt 2:0 at home.

A day later, the Stan Park Rangers returned to their home court, which was no longer the "undefeated home ground". After 90 minutes of fierce fighting, they defeated the London Mars 3:2.

At the end of the game, the TV broadcast gave a shot in the VIP box at Stan Park-their captain Harry Bernard accompanied his family to watch the game.

The performance of his teammates finally did not disappoint him. Without the help of crutches, he stood in the box and shouted for the team's victory.

So the difference between Leeds City and Stan Park Rangers is still... six points.

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Note 1: Considering that not all readers are fans who are familiar with football knowledge, let me explain. "Deputy squad leader" is used to describe the bottom-ranked team in sports events. Because in a squad in the army, the squad leader usually stands first in the line, while the deputy squad leader stands at the end of the line. Later, this concept was used for reference in sports games, and the last team in the league was called the "deputy squad leader".