Volume 1: Playing football with me will break your legs Chapter 90: A steep decline!

A 2-0 away win over Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg put Wimbledon almost one foot into the League Cup final.

After all, in the first 22 rounds of the Premier League, Tottenham, who scored 30 goals and conceded 29 goals, was the team with the worst offense and defense among the top eight teams. Lacking sufficient offensive capabilities, it would be difficult for them to break through the iron wall set up by Wimbledon at home.

But this fierce battle also caused great damage to the Mad Gang. The 32-year-old left-back and vice-captain Smith was diagnosed with a muscle strain after the game and had to bid farewell to the green field temporarily. It would probably take him half a month to recover.

Fuller and Boorman, who are also over 30 years old, are also experiencing physical signs of exhaustion and will need to rest for at least a week.

Suddenly missing three main players, Adre was so worried that he pulled out hundreds of hairs that night. The next morning, he submitted an application for emergency recruitment to the club's general manager Powell.

Powell's first reaction was:

"The winter transfer window is almost over, and you're just thinking about signing players now. Aren't you just being taken advantage of?"

Adley almost threw the teacup on his big bald head!

[If you, the general manager, had not been reluctant to pay, would I, the head coach, have to sit here and beg you? ]

Powell hesitated for a long time and gave another reason:

"Neil, you know very well that our club was founded by the fans' association. There is no capitalist as the boss. In addition, Polo Lee's salary was increased several times before, which has led to a tight financial situation now!"

If Li Polo knew that this fat guy actually used him as a shield, he would definitely give him a strong punch.

[I was paid only 1,000 yuan, and I scored more than 20 goals for you. You, the capitalist, are still not satisfied? ]

- Of course, although Powell is the general manager of the club, he is actually just an administrative representative elected by the fans association. He is not the boss of the club himself.

Adley squeezed the teacup tightly, trying to control his impulse:

"Financially...tight? Then I may have to strategically give up the game against Tottenham next week, because I'm worried that the club won't have money to pay bonuses after we win."

After defeating so many big teams in a row, Wimbledon has made a net profit of at least hundreds of thousands of pounds this season. I just want to use some of it to strengthen the lineup. Is there anything wrong with that?

Powell immediately sat up, picked up the teapot himself, and filled his head coach's cup with hot tea:

"Don't worry, I know your difficulties very well, but you also have to understand my difficulties. Let me ask the finance department to squeeze out another 50,000 pounds for you. But I have to make it clear that this money not only includes the transfer fee, but also the salary space for the players. Don't waste it!"

…

The transfer model of English League Two teams is much simpler than that of Premier League giants, especially at a time like this when it comes to putting out fires.

Adre immediately contacted several old players who had played under him and soon received a response.

Captain Sammy Moore, who left the team for free half a season ago, was willing to take a pay cut to return to the team because he did not get enough playing time in the new English League One team. He was able to immediately fill the vacancy left by Boorman and even put on the No. 8 jersey, which symbolizes the core of the midfield.

Knowing that the old captain has returned, the old players of the Crazy Gang are very happy. Even the injured Boorman can't wait to jump out of the bed and come to greet this old friend...

Originally, Adre wanted to rent another defender, but when he saw the young players on his bench, such as Goodman, Kennedy, Osraja, Sweeney, etc., he gave up the idea.

With a league lead of 11 points, it wouldn't be a big deal to give the youngsters some training, right?

…

On January 24, just three days after defeating Tottenham in the League Cup, Wimbledon faced the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Their opponent is Bolton from the Championship.

As one of the founding members of the English Football League, Bolton was a regular in European competitions a few years ago, and occasionally played back and forth with European giants such as Marseille, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Sporting Lisbon, and even Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup, but now it has been reduced to a Championship relegation team.

Although they are currently ranked 16th in the Championship standings and appear to be several places away from the relegation zone, they are actually only 7 points ahead of the third-to-last team and could fall into the quagmire at any time.

Four days later they will challenge Wolves, a traditional powerhouse in the Championship. If they lose this match, they will only be 4 points away from the relegation zone!

Relegation is above all else!

Bolton, who insisted on this view, almost gave up the FA Cup, played casually for 90 minutes at the King's Meadow, and then returned home.

Three main players missed the game due to injuries, and players such as Akinfenwa, Rigg and Phillips were also excluded from the starting lineup. Relying on Aziz's goal in the 37th minute, Wimbledon, which made a large rotation, won the victory with a slight advantage of 1:0.

Although Li Polo played the entire game and made three successful steals and two header clearances, perhaps affected by the previous game, he was never able to find that excited state and his overall performance was only average.

By the 27th round of the league on January 27, Li Polo was no longer able to continue playing and had to accept the arrangement as a substitute, cheering for his teammates on the bench.

In the 21st minute, former captain Sammy Moore, who returned to the Mad Gang, tore through the opponent's defense with a series of passes in the frontcourt, and Akinfenwa easily scored after receiving the ball.

In the injury time of the first half, Rigg, known as "Beckham's Crazy Gang", used a direct free kick to penetrate Accrington's goal, allowing the Crazy Gang to return to the locker room with a score of 2:0.

Although the visiting team scored a goal in the second half, Adre replaced his defensive ace Li Polo, who stabilized the situation in time and maintained the score of 2:1 until the end.

This concludes the January 2015 schedule.

Wimbledon played a total of 8 games in January, including 4 league games, 2 FA Cup games, 1 League Cup and 1 British Championship, with a mediocre record of 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss.

Li Polo played in 6 games (1 as a substitute), with 5 wins and 1 loss, only scored 3 goals, no assists, and 3 shutouts. His performance can only be described as mediocre.

After all, 3 goals and 0 assists in 6 games, averaging only 0.5 goals per game, is not a good result.

From 22 goals in 26 games to only 3 goals in 6 games, Li Polo's performance has almost fallen off a cliff!

Those reporters had reason to laugh at him.

[If you can't even average a hat-trick in English Football League Two, what qualifications do you have to join a giant like Real Madrid? ]

【Go to sleep, there is everything in your dreams! 】

In terms of income, it is also pitiful:

Appearance fee: 6x50=300.

Winning bonus: 5x30=160.

Goal bonus: 3x100=300.

Clean Sheet Bonus: 3x30=90.

FA Cup qualification bonus (Liverpool exclusive): 500.

Total: 1350.