The Greatest Manager of All time

The away victory over the Red-and-White Army lifted the morale of the Swan Sea enormously.

After all, they were a Third Division team, yet they had beaten the side ranked seventh in the Second Division by four goals away from home.

That kind of result was undoubtedly a huge thrill.

On the triumphant journey back to Swansea, the team bus was filled with celebration. Lynn was especially excited as well, generously praising every player who had appeared in the match.

When he reached Mark Nielsen, he said, "Mark, you did well today. You've been in great form recently. Keep it up!"

"Okay, Boss."

Mark Nielsen was happy too.

During the period when Lynn had been suspended, starting from the Welsh derby against Cardiff, Nielsen had scored four goals and provided two assists in seven matches. Apart from failing to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, he had produced eye-catching numbers in the other six games.

He was pleased with his own performances. They had restored his confidence and made him firmly believe that he was good enough to compete with Cromwell for a starting place.

He looked out of the window, his heart filled with optimistic expectation.

Lynn was also excited. The five-match suspension had been torture for him. Sitting in the stands and watching his team fight on the pitch, whether they won or lost, had been unbearable.

Now it was over. In three days, he would be able to return to his post.

The report of Swansea's demolition of the Red-and-White Army at Griffin Park shook both the Second and Third Division scenes.

The Welsh media ran with the headline: Swansea Have Locked Down a Place in Next Season's Second Division!

The outside world believed that with Swansea's current fighting strength, they were certain to earn promotion in the second half of the season.

Many bookmakers also offered customers a new option at this point: cash out early on Swansea's promotion bet. As long as they accepted a return rate five times lower, they could take the winnings immediately.

But at this time, no customers were willing to accept the bookmakers' proposal.

As long as they waited until the end of the season, Swansea would definitely be promoted!

As for those bettors who had backed Swansea to win the title, they were not worried at all either. They firmly believed that as long as Swansea maintained their first-half form, the championship would be theirs for the taking.

Three days later, when Lynn appeared on the touchline at Liberty Stadium waiting for the match to begin, the atmosphere in the stands exploded instantly.

The fans whistled and cheered, giving Lynn a roaring welcome back to the touchline.

"Welcome back, Lynn!"

A banner was raised in the stands, expressing the supporters' backing for him.

Lynn looked around the stadium and saw countless passionate fans. He could not help smiling.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart. Then his expression suddenly changed, becoming extremely serious. A sharp light appeared in his eyes, like a general commanding an army while waiting for two forces to meet in battle.

Friedrich had also returned from suspension. His centre-back partnership with Brunel appeared once again at Liberty Stadium, giving the fans plenty of reassurance.

Today's visitors were Kidderminster. Swansea had already beaten them away from home in the first half of the league season. Now, playing at home, with team spirit soaring and morale sky-high, everyone was determined to win this match.

After kick-off, Liberty Stadium, with its spectacular atmosphere, became Swansea's world.

Cromwell, Evra, James Cook, Villa, and Ibrahimović formed a five-man attacking unit in the middle and final thirds, joining forces to assault Kidderminster's trembling defense.

Swansea's waves of attack rose higher and higher.

In the 35th minute, Cromwell's long-range shot from outside the box forced the opposing goalkeeper to spill the ball. Villa followed up and sent the rebound into the net.

The roar inside Liberty Stadium shook the sky.

Villa drew wave after wave of screams from his fans.

It looked as if Swansea had already moved past the shadow cast by the suspensions of both players and manager after the Welsh derby.

But one player sat on the bench in low spirits.

Mark Nielsen.

He watched Cromwell run all over the pitch, putting in an extremely eye-catching performance.

From the beginning, he had never believed he was worse than Cromwell. His performances over the past few matches had already proven that.

But he had not expected that after coming off the bench in the previous match at Griffin Park, he would still be sitting on the bench today!

What was Lynn thinking?

Nielsen badly wanted to question Lynn face-to-face.

But he did not dare. Whether it was the wealth Lynn had given him when bringing him in, or the authority Lynn now held inside the squad, both made him unable to face Lynn directly and pour out his thoughts.

But he was truly disappointed to the extreme.

His entire heart seemed to have fallen to freezing point.

He felt that he could not find his place at Liberty Stadium.

The Welsh fans preferred to see Cromwell because Cromwell was Welsh.

It was that simple.

He could not become the first choice in the hearts of the supporters, nor was he the first-choice starter in the manager's mind. After the match ended, Mark Nielsen stood up and left without delay.

Swansea won the match 3–0.

After once again closing the gap to Brighton, now trailing them by only one point, something happened that Lynn had not expected.

Everything had seemed smooth and steady, but one player's written transfer request caught him completely off guard.

After reading the transfer request handed to him by Tony Benn in his office, Lynn looked up with a grave expression and asked, "Before this, did Mark Nielsen show any signs that he wanted to transfer? Did any other club contact him? Were there any rumors in the media?"

Tony Benn sighed helplessly and said, "No. There were no signs at all. He suddenly submitted a request to transfer, and he did it formally in writing. He isn't joking. If he hadn't thought it through, he would have at most mentioned it to teammates or found a reporter to complain to. But he didn't do anything else. He handed the transfer request directly to me. He was calm and very serious."

Lynn picked up his fountain pen and turned it between his fingers. After thinking for a moment, he said to Tony Benn, "Go call him here. I'll speak with him face-to-face."

After Tony Benn left, Lynn let out a long sigh.

He knew he could not keep many of the current players in the squad forever. Some would be eliminated, and some would be attracted away by other clubs.

But he had not expected that day to arrive so soon.

No matter what, every player was precious to him right now. He did not want to lose anyone easily.

When Mark Nielsen, still wearing his training kit, came to Lynn's office, the master and student sat across from each other with the desk between them.

Mark Nielsen did not seem nervous in front of Lynn, because he and Lynn were close in age.

"Mark, I've read your transfer request. I want to know the reason. Why do you want to leave?"

Lynn went straight to the point and did not want to beat around the bush.

Mark Nielsen said calmly, "Boss, everything here is good. But there's one problem. I'm not a starter. I want to be a starter for the team, but I'm not. That's the issue."

Lynn nodded slightly.

At least Mark Nielsen's attitude was something he approved of. Whatever the issue was, everyone could speak openly. If they could reach an agreement, then everyone would be happy. If not, parting on good terms was still better than becoming enemies.

Lynn understood Nielsen's demand.

At Swansea, Nielsen had already been positioned as Cromwell's substitute.

Only in special circumstances, such as the previous few matches, when the schedule was heavy, Ibrahimović was suspended, Pedretti was injured, and both midfield and forward rotation were difficult, would Lynn switch the formation to a 4-2-3-1. Then Nielsen naturally became a starter.

But once Pedretti returned from injury, Ibrahimović returned from suspension, and Swansea went back to a 4-4-2, Nielsen no longer had a starting place.

At the start of the season, Cromwell had been playing one match and resting one. Now he was playing two and resting one. Lynn could not let his captain spend half the season on the bench or off the pitch.

Besides, Cromwell was highly professional. After adapting to the rhythm of matches and further improving his physical strength, his ability to handle the schedule had improved. He could cope with playing two matches and resting one.

And as Cromwell continued growing in the future, that situation would only get better. Perhaps he would play three and rest one, then four and rest one. Once he fully matured, unless he was injured or truly exhausted, he would be Lynn's first-choice player. Of course, it was also possible that Cromwell's competitive level could stagnate, fail to meet Swansea's needs, and he could drop down into a substitute role.

But at the moment, Nielsen's living space in the squad had indeed been squeezed by Cromwell.

After thinking for a while, Lynn said to him, "You should know that every season, our workload is very heavy. Take this year as an example. Forty-six league matches, four League Cup matches, three FA Cup matches, and the Football League Trophy will likely be six matches in total. How many games is that altogether? Fifty-nine matches. Over the course of a season, you can play at least twenty-five matches. I think that may not fully satisfy your hunger for games, but at the very least, it shouldn't make you feel unwanted by the team."

Nielsen shook his head slightly.

"Boss, I want to be a starter. I think I have the ability. But I don't understand why, between me and Oliver, Boss values him more. Maybe Oliver is younger. Maybe it's because Oliver is the captain. I don't know the real reason, and now I don't want to know. I just feel that if I leave Swansea and go to another club, I can get what I want: a starting position."

Lynn sighed softly.

Of course he could not tell Nielsen the real reason.

It was very simple: you don't have as much potential as Cromwell. From the perspective of long-term development value, Cromwell's future is more worth looking forward to than yours.

Although Nielsen was already twenty-two, and his various qualities and abilities were good, and although he really did seem close to Cromwell's level, Cromwell was only seventeen!

Cromwell still had huge room for improvement.

What about Nielsen?

His room for improvement was already much smaller.

That was why Lynn was more inclined to focus on developing Cromwell rather than pragmatically pushing Nielsen into the starting lineup.

As long as it did not affect Swansea's basic seasonal goals, Lynn's management of the team would still focus on the long term.

After thinking for a moment, Lynn stood and said to Mark Nielsen, "All right. Since we can't reach an agreement, and your attitude is so firm, then I can only wish you good luck. Tonight, I'll organize a team dinner. Think of it as a farewell meal for you, but I won't make it clear to your teammates. I hope you understand."

Mark Nielsen finally showed a faint smile, though it was somewhat bitter.

When Lynn said his attitude was firm, was Lynn's belief in starting Cromwell not just as firm?

He shook hands with Lynn and said, "Boss, although I haven't been at Swansea for long, everyone here has treated me well. I'm grateful to everyone, and I'm very grateful to you."

"Mm. I'll have the club put you on the transfer list tomorrow. I hope we can complete your transfer as soon as possible. I hope you develop well at your new club. And I also hope that if your future team ever faces Swansea, you'll remember the old bond and show mercy to the Swan Sea."

"Heh. Everyone knows Swansea has enormous potential. If one day I face Swansea on the pitch, I'll definitely be hoping Swansea don't go on a killing spree."

That evening, Lynn organized a team dinner.

The players did not know Mark Nielsen had submitted a transfer request. They simply thought Lynn was in a good mood, so laughter and cheerful conversation still filled the banquet.

Mark Nielsen, however, was gloomy.

He did not have many friends. His fellow countryman Ibrahimović did not particularly match his personality. Those Danish players could chat with him a little more, but they were all substitutes too. At team gatherings like this, they were somewhat quiet.

The starting players were the protagonists because they were full of confidence and in the spotlight.

They would not understand how the substitutes felt in the corners, illuminated by the shining light around them. Sometimes that light brought a faint sting.

The next day, Swansea placed Mark Nielsen on the transfer market.

Nielsen did not attend training and waited for a new club to invite him to join.

At the same time, Swansea's official website announced Mark Nielsen's transfer request. Although he had not yet left, Lynn had already personally written a thank-you letter to Mark Nielsen, which was published together on Swansea's official website.

As for why Mark Nielsen had actively requested a transfer, Lynn revealed the inside story to Carter to avoid the media making wild guesses and causing unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Mark Nielsen Unhappy as Substitute, Takes Initiative to Flee Liberty Stadium!"

"Cromwell or Mark Nielsen — Who Should Start for the Swan Sea?"

That day, the Welsh media widely reported the news that Mark Nielsen had been transfer-listed.

Because Mark Nielsen had been in blazing form recently, his excellent performances made many people willing to support him. A small number of fans even held banners outside the training ground, hoping the club would keep Mark Nielsen.

He had come off the bench in the Welsh derby to become a hero, then contributed repeatedly in the following matches. Fans believed he should stay in Swansea's squad, and that letting Mark Nielsen leave would be a huge mistake by the club.

While Lynn oversaw training, he felt helpless.

He could see the banners outside the wall.

The problem was: if they kept Mark Nielsen, were they supposed to make Cromwell sit on the bench?

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