Howard is now on the television screen.
The confidence and arrogance he displayed at the press conference were nowhere to be seen on his face.
Instead, there was disappointment and surprise after making such a basic mistake.
Looking at Howard's expression.
Li Shiguang couldn't help but marvel at the system's power, while also feeling a pang of sadness for Howard's future.
As it turns out, Howard's unpredictable nature has resurfaced after losing his Buffon trial card.
Howard is indeed not living up to his price tag right now, but he has made a lot of money for himself.
Anyway, he's done right by Howard. At least for the next 10 years, Howard's €15 million transfer fee will rank him among the top 5 goalkeepers. Moreover, Bates signed him to a 4-year contract this time, with a higher salary than he had at Manchester United and Leeds United.
Even if he eventually loses his position because he can't get rid of his "erratic" nature, at least he got the money!
With that thought in mind, Li Shiguang stopped paying attention to the game, turned off the TV, and headed to his study.
He still needs to hurry up and prepare. He has prepared several new tactics for the players to try out in tomorrow's training session!
...
Hawthorn Ball Field
After a period of relentless attack, West Bromwich Albion, trailing by one goal, finally equalized in the 43rd minute of the first half.
During halftime, after discussing tactics for the second half in the locker room, Blackwell considered the matter carefully and decided not to substitute Howard for the time being. He already knew that the owners and shareholders were watching the game from the stands.
If they see that the goalkeeper they bought for a lot of money was substituted at halftime, they might cause them trouble later.
So after the players left the locker room, Blackwell, his face ashen, grabbed Howard, who was lagging behind, and yelled at him, "Timothy, if it weren't for you, we would have been leading those Londoners 1-0 at halftime. So, once the second half starts, focus on the field. I don't want to see any more of those stupid mistakes, okay?"
Feeling the pressure from Blackwell, Howard, who had initially wanted to argue, ultimately just nodded and left the locker room.
The second half began with the teams switching sides.
Generally speaking, in England, every team's die-hard fans have one thing in common: when you perform well, they'll praise you like a god. But the moment you make a mistake, your whole family will be subjected to their most affectionate greetings.
In the second half, Howard moved to the south stand, which was filled with die-hard West Bromwich Albion fans.
He was enduring the fans' affectionate greetings, wanting to refute them but unable to find the words, since the goal conceded in the first half was indeed due to his lack of concentration.
He shook his head, secretly resolving that he couldn't afford to slack off like this again in the second half.
·······
The second half was relatively quiet, with neither side launching any particularly threatening attacks.
Although he no longer has the Buffon experience card, Howard still has a B- rating in the system, which means he is considered to be of average ability among goalkeepers in the Premier League. It's just that his unique "erratic" and "butterfingers" attributes have made him a target of criticism at Manchester United.
So, with the game approaching 90 minutes in, Tottenham's only three shots in the second half were all saved by the highly focused Howard.
After seeing Howard's performance return to normal, the fans at the scene stopped greeting him and instead continued to applaud his brilliant saves.
As the game was about to end with a 1-1 score, Blackwell on the sidelines and Bates in the stands breathed a sigh of relief. Although they didn't win in the end, at least they stopped the team's losing streak.
Especially Bates.
After West Bromwich Albion conceded a goal in the first half, the shareholders next to him and the fans in the front row, after criticizing Howard, all turned their attention to Bates, who looked embarrassed, as if to ask, "You bought this thing for $15 million?"
However, since the start of the second half, Howard's performance has been mediocre, denying several of Tottenham's shots. This has made Bates perk up again, and a smile has returned to his face.
In the 92nd minute, with the game nearing its end, Tottenham Hotspur were awarded a corner kick after Allen Lennon's breakthrough down the wing.
Tottenham striker Robbie Keane is standing next to the corner flag, while inside West Bromwich Albion's penalty area, players from both sides are vying for position.
He was familiar with Howard; they had faced each other last season when Howard was still at Manchester United. Later, for some reason, Howard went to Leeds United, who had already been relegated, after the season ended.
I heard that this bearded man performed exceptionally well at Leeds United, frequently making world-class saves. Moreover, he never made the mistake of frequently dropping the ball during saves last season. That's why West Bromwich Albion, who were in the relegation zone, spent a lot of money to bring him in as soon as the winter transfer window opened.
But so far in today's game, he hasn't felt that Howard is in particularly good form.
Because in the second half, he was the one who had two shots on goal for Tottenham.
Howard fumbled both of his relatively harmless long-range shots. It was only because he took both shots from outside the penalty area that he didn't have time to rush in for a follow-up shot; otherwise, the score wouldn't be 1-1 now.
Thinking about this...
Keane quietly raised his head and glanced at Howard, who was currently directing his teammates to guard one-on-one. Suddenly, a bold idea came to his mind.
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