The Greatest Manager of All time

Lynn sat in the dressing room without saying a word, while the players and coaches who had returned inside were all talking at once.

"Ray looked like he was crying."

"Yeah, like a woman who'd just been violated…"

"He really did get violated by life."

"My God, is today a dream? This is insane."

"Did you see the Barnet players' faces? They looked completely numb. Like they didn't feel anything for their manager at all."

Football could be strange and absurd sometimes.

Lynn clapped his hands, telling everyone to quiet down. Then he stood and said, "All right, don't let anything else distract you. In the second half, we continue according to the original plan. Finish the match properly, and then we go home."

The coaches fell silent, while the players nodded one after another.

When they returned to the pitch for the second half, Barnet were still half-dead on the field. They showed no determination to fight with their backs against the wall.

Perhaps their manager's mid-match escape had not awakened even the slightest spark in them, not even a tiny desire to fight fate and take control of themselves again.

Losing had already become routine for them this season. Over forty league matches had made it familiar.

Swansea, however, showed no mercy. Holding back or easing off had never been Lynn's style.

He pitied Ray Kennedy, but he would not stop.

It sounded contradictory, but that was exactly what Lynn thought. His heart could be touched, but when it came to action, he would not change his principles.

There were tears in football, but the contest itself did not believe in tears.

Villa completed a hat-trick in the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal for Swansea, and Ibrahimović added another just before full-time.

When the match reached the first minute of stoppage time, the referee immediately blew the final whistle.

The final score was fixed at 6–0.

The stands at Hive Stadium were already more than half empty.

As Lynn got up and prepared to leave, he unintentionally caught sight of a little boy sitting in a corner of the stand. The boy wore large glasses and was sobbing, tears streaming down his face.

He was probably a Barnet fan, someone who had supported the club since childhood, most likely influenced by his family.

Lynn walked into the players' tunnel. When he passed the room where Ray Kennedy was resting again, he saw Anthony Kleanthous and two strangers through the window. The three of them stood in front of Kennedy, angrily scolding him.

Kennedy, whose head was wrapped in bandages, kept his head lowered the entire time, as if he would never be able to raise it again.

It seemed Barnet's chairman and executives had rushed to the club to deal with the scandal Kennedy had caused as quickly as possible.

Lynn watched from outside the door for a moment, then continued walking. As he passed the closed door, he said softly, "The road is long, but there will be no next meeting."

...

The explosive scandal Kennedy had caused an hour earlier had already escalated and spread after the match ended. Fleet Street sent a large number of reporters to Hive Stadium, all preparing to interview Kennedy.

When Lynn led the team away, some Fleet Street reporters also tried to question him, and even attempted to pin some blame on him.

"Did you do something that caused Ray Kennedy to suffer such a severe mental breakdown?"

"Was his loss of control related to you?"

As Lynn walked into the car park, he turned back and sneered at the reporters. "I could say ten thousand things to provoke Ray Kennedy, and it still wouldn't be as damaging as one humiliating line you people write about him in the papers. Thieves shouting thief."

After that, Lynn walked toward the team bus.

He could imagine how Fleet Street had humiliated Ray Kennedy when his team's results were poor. The pressure from the media might not have been the whole reason, but it was definitely an important part of it. Besides, the media itself had the power to incite. Barnet's fans, the players, and finally Ray Kennedy himself had ended up completely at odds. Who could say the media had not been pushing things along from behind the scenes?

Ray Kennedy instantly became the focus of English football.

Every major media outlet frantically spread videos, photos, and eyewitness accounts of him giving the fans the middle finger during the match, screaming abuse at them, and urinating on the dugout.

Even Lynn had never received this level of treatment, with big newspapers and tabloids all obsessively chasing the same story.

After returning to Swansea, Lynn went back to work as usual. The next day, he told the players, "Stay focused. Play the final three matches well!"

Three days later, Lynn led the team to Brighton on the southeast coast of England, where the Third Division would stage a top-of-the-table clash!

Swansea were eight points ahead of Brighton. If they avoided defeat in this match, Swansea would win the league title with two rounds to spare!

Welsh sports media and a small number of Fleet Street outlets were all paying attention to this battle at the top of the table in the closing stage of the Third Division season.

Lynn naturally felt no real pressure. Brighton probably would not feel too much pressure either, because the Seagulls had also secured promotion.

However, at the start of the season, when Brighton visited Liberty Stadium, they had suffered an upset defeat to Swansea. At that time, Lynn had said the now-famous line:

"Brighton are going to lose. Even God can't save you. I, Lynn, said so."

On top of that, during the match, Swansea fans had constantly humiliated Brighton manager Micky Adams.

"Adams, go eat shit!"

"Adams, go eat shit!"

Thinking back now, anyone who had personally experienced that match would surely remember the chant that came from the Swansea fans.

After Brighton confirmed their direct promotion place in the previous round, Micky Adams accepted an interview in a relaxed mood, only to be provoked into anger by a Fleet Street reporter.

At first, he said happily, "After a long season of hard work, Brighton have secured direct promotion. I want to thank the players and the fans for their support. We can have a pleasant holiday in the summer, then seriously prepare for next season in the Second Division. Let's see how far we can go."

As soon as he finished, a reporter immediately mocked him.

"Swansea, whom you looked down on so much at the start of the season, secured direct promotion earlier than you. But Swansea manager Lynn has never mentioned holidays on any occasion. If we count the points Swansea were deducted, they would already have won the title in advance. Brighton still theoretically have a chance to win the championship, provided you beat Swansea at home in the next match. Aren't you considering that? Will Brighton be satisfied with finishing second? Or are the Seagulls already afraid of the Swans?"

Micky Adams could not quite describe what he felt.

On what he had considered a wonderful day, why did he suddenly feel so damn aggrieved after hearing that question?

Yes, he had once humiliated Lynn, but Lynn had humiliated him too.

Over the nine-month marathon of the league season, Brighton had basically already lost to Swansea.

But Brighton had still been promoted smoothly.

Yet that was the media. They wanted to create topics and stir up conflict. Without Lynn or Adams firing a single shot themselves, Fleet Street had already built the battlefield. Who asked the two clubs to be first and second in the Third Division?

After thinking about it, Adams felt he could not lose to Swansea in terms of momentum. So he told the reporters with passionate force, "Brighton have certainly not given up. We will fight until the final moment. We have persisted through forty-three rounds of the league. Are we supposed to give up in the final three matches?

"But I must say, Swansea have been very lucky this season. At the start of the season, they were first considered relegation favorites, then they were ignored by every team. Many sides who fell at the feet of the Swan Sea simply underestimated them and became careless. Brighton once made that mistake at Liberty Stadium too. In the coming top-of-the-table battle, we will not make the same mistake again. We will deal Swansea a direct blow. Even if they have more points than us, their points are full of water!"

The reporters, completely satisfied, delivered Adams' "challenge letter" to Lynn.

When Lynn was asked about Adams' "bold words" before setting off for Brighton, he only said one sentence.

"Do you remember what I said eight months ago? I don't need to repeat it."

And so, in the media reports on matchday, one side was Adams issuing a challenge to Lynn, while Lynn's response became:

Adams, you can go eat shit again! Brighton will lose again. God still won't be able to save you. Lynn said so!

The war between the Swans and the Seagulls could be said to have run throughout this Third Division season.

From the very beginning of the season, the two teams had already been in sharp conflict. Swansea's upset victory over Brighton at Liberty Stadium was also regarded as the starting point of the youth storm beginning to swirl around Swansea.

After the opening phase of the season, both teams had firmly occupied the top three. The top spot had also changed hands between them several times. By the end of the season, when the two teams met again in the closing stage, Swansea held the advantage. But Brighton could not be said to have suffered too great a gap, either. After all, in the Third Division, promotion to the Second Division was the most practical goal.

And what did that mean?

It meant the two teams would still be opponents next season!

The war would continue on the Second Division stage!

...

Inside the away dressing room at Brighton's Community Stadium, Lynn looked at the spirited young men before him and gave his pre-match speech.

"We only have three matches left this season. This is the third from last. If we don't lose today, then we will be league champions."

At this point, many players in the dressing room lifted the corners of their mouths, confident smiles spreading across their faces.

Lynn continued, "Since this is the moment we can win the title, why don't we make this day even more beautiful? Even more glorious?

"If we win in this stadium, then we will have completed a league double over second-placed Brighton! That will mean we are the strongest team standing above the entire Third Division!

"And if it's only a draw, then yes, we can still call ourselves champions. But perhaps, just like Brighton manager Micky Adams said, maybe we really were underestimated this season. Maybe many of the points we earned were full of water.

"I don't want that. I don't want anyone criticizing us as if we stole the league title, as if we quietly snuck away with the championship while the other teams were dozing off."

Hearing that, the players shook their heads one after another. At the same time, they were angered by Micky Adams' words.

Because nobody was willing to accept their achievements being questioned, denied, or diminished!

Ibrahimović curled his lip. "Boss, he shouldn't just go eat shit. He has already eaten shit, because everything he says is crap!"

Friedrich frowned. "Zlatan, that is disgusting. It's true, but it's disgusting. You should say it directly to Adams."

Lynn raised his hand for everyone to quiet down, and they all looked toward him.

"First, we need to realize one thing. Brighton can be said to be the strongest team in the Third Division after us. In this league, they count as a strong side.

"Second, Brighton have already confirmed they will be promoted to the Second Division next season. That means next season, they will stand on the Second Division stage with us.

"So today, whether we are talking about winning the title, proving ourselves, or looking further ahead, we need to think of it this way: Brighton are our first Second Division opponent.

"If we want to adapt to the Second Division, we need to play more against Second Division teams.

"Very good. Brighton have delivered themselves to us. Oh, no, that's not quite right. We have come to Brighton's doorstep to challenge them.

"Since we're here, we must take something away with us. Either victory, or Brighton's dignity.

"Lads, let's plant the Swan Sea flag inside Community Stadium, then climb to the top with glory and become the league champions in name and truth!"

The players were stirred by Lynn's words and raised their fists, shouting, "Plant the Swan flag in Brighton's home and climb onto the league champion's throne!"

Swansea's players walked out of the dressing room with fighting spirit blazing.

When Lynn entered Community Stadium, huge boos immediately erupted around him!

He turned and saw the Seagulls fans in the nearby stand acting like a swarm of demons.

Many of them raised their middle fingers at him, their emotional abuse rising and falling in waves.

Lynn's expression did not change. He turned his head toward the home dugout.

Micky Adams happened to look over at him as well, his eyes carrying a hint of pride and teasing amusement, as if he were waiting to watch a good show.

At Community Stadium, Micky Adams was God!

He had led Brighton to promotion and was a hero in the hearts of the Seagulls fans. They supported Micky Adams, and now they wanted Lynn to feel enormous pressure.

The humiliation the Swans fans had once given Adams, the Seagulls fans would now return in full!

Lynn lowered his head and smiled faintly.

This was English football. Heroes were everywhere, and every hill had its own lord. Wanting to hear only one voice here was far too naive.

At Liberty Stadium, Adams had been cursed as shit. But at Community Stadium, he was a god worshiped by thousands.

Lynn was the same. Very rarely did he go to an away ground without being abused by the home fans. Racist insults also often reached his ears.

Lynn sat down on the bench.

No matter what, today finally felt like a proper away match.

In the eyes of the outside world, an evenly matched clash between two powerful teams in the Third Division was about to begin at Community Stadium!

The starting players of Swansea and Brighton entered the pitch with heads held high and fighting spirit surging. The stadium, which could hold over twenty thousand people, burst into deafening noise.

More than three thousand Swansea fans had also come to the away match today.

They wanted to witness with their own eyes the glorious moment when Swansea locked down the league title and ascended the throne.

Brighton were their biggest league rivals. How could the Swans fans miss such a clash between strong teams?

How could they not come to the scene and cheer for the Swan Sea?

Micky Adams stared calmly at the pitch. Lynn waited solemnly for the battle to begin.

In the first meeting between the two managers, perhaps Adams really had underestimated his opponent.

But today, this would be a top-of-the-table battle both sides valued immensely!

Swansea's players lined up on the pitch. The home players walked past them one by one for the pre-match handshake ceremony.

Both teams were ready.

They could now cast aside every concern and fight freely.

Let them see who the true strong side was!

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