The Greatest Manager of All time

Perhaps Dean Smith believed his battle plan had been leaked before the match, and that the shameless bastard Lynn must have used some underhanded method to steal the Red and Whites' intelligence. That was why Brentford had been completely passive from the very start, and why Swansea had taken the lead through what looked like a perfectly correct tactical approach!

Right now, he was burning with anxiety and had no idea how his team could reverse the disadvantage.

When the first half ended, he walked into the players' tunnel with a gloomy face.

Lynn returned to the dressing room and praised the players' performance.

"I'm very happy with how you performed on the pitch today. To be honest, I didn't expect the Red and Whites to play defensive counterattacking football at home. But you have already learned how to handle this kind of situation calmly. That means your hard work has paid off. The sweat you shed was not wasted. You were genuinely excellent!

"You should face the match with pride, confidence, and belief. Keep it going in the second half!"

The Swansea players smiled.

It was not a smug, carried-away smile, but a smile of self-affirmation.

Just as Lynn had said, once they achieved certain results and looked back at themselves, they could clearly feel how far they had improved compared to before!

This kind of strength made men excited and confident!

And it gave them even greater motivation and drive to continue firmly down this path!

The two teams returned to the pitch, and the second half began after changing ends.

Dean Smith carried out the arrangement he had made before the match.

The original plan had been to play defensive counterattacking football in the first half. Even if they could not land a surprise blow, holding out through the first half at home would still have been good. In his view, if the Red and Whites defended with everything they had, they should have been able to resist Swansea's powerful attack.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. They had conceded twice in the first half. Now, in the second half, the original plan was to suddenly attack and catch Swansea off guard while Swansea had already been lulled into comfort.

Whether they were two goals behind or level, the situation was different, but if the Red and Whites wanted to win, they had to attack in the second half!

Dean Smith stood on the touchline with a face as still as water, expecting to see Swansea stunned by the sudden shift in the Red and Whites' rhythm.

In the 48th minute, six Red and Whites players surged across the halfway line, and for a moment, Swansea's back line was in danger.

After a series of passes, they played the ball straight to forward Peters. Peters tried to play a wall pass with his strike partner Blackman.

The ball had just left his foot, and he was about to rush past Friedrich from the front, but the pass he sent out was intercepted by Danny Gabbidon!

When playing center-back, Gabbidon might lack a little aerial ability, but his strength lay in his agility, and his interception efficiency had improved.

Seeing his pass intercepted, Peters looked up to the sky and sighed, carrying a helpless feeling as if he had nothing left to say to heaven.

The Red and Whites strengthened their pressing in the middle and front areas. In the 54th minute, Villa had just pulled out to the right flank to receive James Cook's pass when he was brought down by Andrew Frampton.

Villa did not argue with the opponent or complain to the referee. It was clearly a tactical foul.

The referee saw everything clearly, gave Frampton a yellow card, and Swansea prepared to take a free kick from the right side of the attacking third.

James Cook placed the ball at the spot of the foul, then took two steps back and raised his head to observe the situation inside the penalty area.

The young, handsome blond stared calmly into the box, carefully observing his teammates' positions and thinking about the best landing point for the free kick.

Once the attacking and defensive positions inside the box had been arranged and the marking was ready, the referee blew his whistle.

James Cook stepped forward twice and struck the ball from where he stood.

The outswinging curve he produced with the inside of his foot arced over the heads of the nearby wall, then began spinning and dropping sharply after flying into the penalty area!

Center-back Matt Smur jumped in the middle of the goalmouth to contest the header. But after he left the ground, he realized the ball had flown over his head. As he came down, he looked back. He had interfered with Ibrahimović enough that Ibra could not complete the header, but there was still someone behind Ibrahimović!

Friedrich!

The German was side-on to goal and flicked his head, sending the ball toward the net.

The ball skimmed beneath the crossbar and flew into the goal. Goalkeeper Julian did not even make a save. Furious, he rushed into the net and kicked the ball away as if venting his anger.

Friedrich clenched his fists and roared as he charged toward the touchline, his teammates chasing after him from behind.

The Swans fans erupted into roaring cheers, all of them falling into a state of madness!

"Swansea have scored again not long after the second half began! James Cook delivers the free kick and assists Friedrich's headed goal!

"Swansea's attack is too strong. They seem capable of anything. Positional play, set pieces, counterattacks—no matter what method of attack they use, they can leave opponents battered and helpless!"

Dean Smith was about to go mad!

He closed his eyes, his face full of pain, as if someone had punched him directly in the heart.

At the start of both halves, Swansea had scored soon after kickoff!

With his eyes closed, he raised his face toward the sky and muttered something under his breath, as if asking God why he was being treated this way!

He had worked hard, so hard, yet the result was an even crueler blow than if he had not worked at all!

The Red and Whites were three goals behind at home!

On the pitch, Brentford's players began to lose heart.

What was the point of playing anymore?

The manager's tactical arrangement had been completely useless.

No matter what, they could not stop the opponent from scoring. They had already conceded three. If this continued, God knew whether the match would end in another glorious Swansea massacre!

In the home stands, some fans had already begun leaving.

They shook their heads and sighed as they walked toward the exits.

Christmas was coming soon. No one wanted to ruin their mood completely.

Better not to watch. Go home early, wash up, and sleep. When they woke up tomorrow, they could pretend nothing had happened and pray the team performed well during the Christmas fixtures.

The Red and Whites began to retreat completely.

Dean Smith returned to the dugout and sat down. His expression was numb, as if he had lost all will to live.

He used two substitutions at once, taking off one forward and one wide midfielder, and sending on a defender and a defensive midfielder.

He did not care anymore!

Defend!

The Red and Whites had genuinely been frightened by Swansea!

Seeing the Red and Whites weaken their attack and fully turn into a shell-like defensive posture, Lynn also heard scattered boos ringing around Griffin Park.

The home fans were expressing their dissatisfaction.

Lynn also made substitutions. Grosso and Villa were taken off, while Kalunbel and Poulsen came on.

Lynn gestured from the touchline and adjusted the attacking strategy.

Swansea would simply shoot from distance around the outside instead of forcing themselves to fight through the crowded penalty area.

For the rest of the match, Swansea frequently fired long shots from outside the box, leaving the Red and Whites unbearably frustrated.

They endured Swansea's storm of shots from the perimeter, while their own counters could not be played at all. This made them increase their pressing, and their fouls grew increasingly heavy as well.

In the 79th minute, Poulsen's long-range shot from outside the box forced Red and Whites defender Thomas into a handball. The referee showed Thomas a second yellow card, then produced a red card and sent him off.

Cromwell took the initiative to give the penalty to Ibrahimović, and Ibra calmly converted it.

Swansea scored twice in each half at Griffin Park and claimed a four-goal victory!

After the match ended, Lynn took the initiative to walk toward Dean Smith. The other man still had no desire to exchange any words with Lynn, and Lynn naturally could not be bothered wasting his breath either.

After leading the team away from London, Lynn praised the players' performance on the way back. He confirmed that the team had entered its best fighting state!

With the Christmas fixture crush approaching, this was a very good point in time.

Two days later, Swansea traveled away to challenge Hawk in the FA Cup second round, once again facing a team outside the fully professional leagues.

Swansea played lightly and freely. The young players and substitutes performed excellently, securing a 5–0 away victory and smoothly advancing to the FA Cup third round.

From the third round onward, Premier League teams would enter the FA Cup, and the difficulty of advancing would suddenly rise. No one could say for sure whether Swansea might suffer sudden death if they drew a Premier League side!

Lynn was very calm about this. No matter who their next FA Cup opponent was, Swansea first had to consolidate their advantage in the league.

On December 19, the 22nd round of the Second Division arrived one after another.

Swansea's opponent at home would be Queens Park Rangers from London.

QPR, now led by Peter Taylor, had not performed particularly satisfyingly.

After winning their previous match, they had climbed to eighth in the table. But last season, QPR had been playing in the First Division. After relegation, their strength had been considered powerful enough to challenge for the title. No one expected that with the season nearly halfway through, Queens Park Rangers would not even have entered the play-off places!

In his pre-match interview, Peter Taylor praised Lynn.

"I have carefully studied Swansea's matches. I cannot shallowly assume that Lynn is a manager without experience or ability. Swansea's style of play is unique, and that is absolutely Lynn's credit. From player recruitment to building the team's tactical style, as well as the art of in-game management, all of these were completed by Lynn alone. I want to say that he is remarkable. Swansea can complete promotion this season."

Lynn, meanwhile, remained silent before the match.

In the outside world's eyes, Lynn had already become the model of someone who stood apart. He naturally expressed his position and opinions, and he held opposition or disdain toward many people and matters in English football. Meanwhile, the twenty-match unbeaten run he had led Swansea to was enough to make him stand high above the Second Division!

He was not humble!

Precisely because of that, people hated him, yet they could not ignore his overbearing presence.

When Swansea and Queens Park Rangers met at the Liberty Stadium, Christmas was less than a week away.

Because Swansea's next match would be away from home, Swansea fans in the stands put up banners blessing the club in advance.

"Happy New Year!"

"The Swans Spread Their Wings and Fly High!"

"In 2002, We're Going to the First Division! As Champions!"

After Lynn and Peter Taylor met on the touchline, the two had no interaction. The ceremonial handshake would be left until after the match.

Queens Park Rangers had once been considered one of the contenders for the Second Division title, but now, no one thought that anymore.

People still had some expectations for QPR, but at most, those expectations were only about direct promotion. The title?

Too far away!

As far away as the more than twenty points Swansea led QPR by in the table!

Under the scorching hot support inside the Liberty Stadium, the match began.

From the very first minute, Queens Park Rangers actively launched attacks, showing no conservatism at all despite playing away!

They pressed actively, fought fiercely, and attacked in a simple, brutal manner. Waves of fast attacks swept toward Swansea's half!

This scene surprised the Swansea fans in the stands, but it also excited them!

This had the rhythm of an attacking duel!

Queens Park Rangers, well done!

It had been a long time since a team dared come to the Liberty Stadium and attack so wildly, brutally, and arrogantly!

Lynn sat calmly in the dugout, observing the situation. Hughes, beside him, frowned and said quietly to Lynn, "How strange. Queens Park Rangers don't necessarily attack this fiercely in other matches. Why do they look like they've been injected with chicken blood today?"

Lynn turned toward the away team's technical area. Peter Taylor was standing there with one hand on his waist.

Lynn said lightly, "We studied Queens Park Rangers. Their overall squad is decent, and the team has basically taken shape. But their fatal weakness is also obvious: their defense is too poor!

"After Peter Taylor took over this season, he tried to rebuild their defense. But half a season has passed, and looking at Queens Park Rangers having the third-best attacking firepower in the league while only ranking eighth, that proves one thing: Peter Taylor's reconstruction of the back line has failed!

"So, bringing a Queens Park Rangers side whose back line is unreliable to the Liberty Stadium, facing Swansea, the strongest attacking team in the league—Emlyn, if it were you, what would you choose?"

Emlyn Hughes thought for a moment and said, "If I focused on defense, I'd probably lose in a cowardly way in the end. In that case, it would be better to fight the opponent with attacking firepower!"

Lynn nodded slightly. "Exactly. I once put myself in Peter Taylor's position and thought about how to play this match. I considered attacking them too. But this requires great courage, because the opponent's attacking firepower is too strong! And your own back line is unreliable. Once your forwards don't perform as expected in an attacking duel, or if the opponent's defense is difficult for your attack to break through, then your back line becomes the opponent's playground. Ninety minutes—God knows what they'll be reduced to.

"I have to say, I admire his courage. Peter Taylor's courage—I accept it. Now let's see what we give Peter Taylor in return in this match."

Queens Park Rangers' wild and brutal attack actually left Swansea somewhat chaotic at home.

Because over the past stretch of time, they had also grown used to opponents staying alert and approaching matches cautiously.

Against a team like Queens Park Rangers, who came at you with blades the moment words failed, Swansea were instead somewhat uncomfortable.

Precisely because of that, in the chaos, Swansea made a mistake.

In the 14th minute, Queens Park Rangers scored the first goal of the match through a corner!