Coach Jacob was so angry that his face was filled with shame and he clenched his fists.

As an assistant coach of Real Madrid, Coach Jacob is very capable in training, but he is a stutterer, clumsy and not good at talking back to others.

The other players also started talking in low voices, and the atmosphere in the locker room became a little chaotic.

Coach Adkins' mouth was set into a gloomy flat line.

For head coach Adkins, this incident made him feel a little disappointed.

Gu Ran's performance in training and the last competition gave Coach Adkins hope of winning the league championship, but now...

Now, the morale of the army has begun to waver.

If he doesn't say a few harsh words to other players, firstly, the discipline in the locker room will be completely destroyed, and secondly, his authority as the head coach will be greatly damaged.

Coach Adkins then said in a cold voice: "Okay, stop talking. My decision is as follows: Everyone should go on the court to warm up first. I will not deliberately wait for any player, even if he is a rising star."

"If Gu Ran hasn't arrived before the game officially starts..."

Coach Adkins paused and looked at Harding, "Then, Harding, you will be the starter."

"Ha." Haldin smiled disdainfully, his face full of arrogance.

His micro-expression seemed to be saying: Are you thinking of me, the official left-back, now? I'm not Gu Ran's substitute! But, in order to save the situation, I can't refuse, right?

Coach Adkins also understood what Halding meant, but at this time, Coach Adkins couldn't argue with Halding.

Coach Adkins was holding back his anger and continued in a deep voice, "I would like to emphasize the discipline in the locker room! Losing contact before a game is not allowed to happen during my coaching period! No matter what your reasons are! Anyone who violates the rules, no matter if he is the captain, vice-captain, the main player of the team or a rising star, will be forced to sit on the bench for at least half a season!"

"Yes! Coach!"

The players responded in unison.

Gu Ran's small team members were extremely anxious.

Lambert and Lallana were also really worried about Gu Ran.

It’s about career prospects!

If a rising star cannot play for half a season, his career will really be ruined!

And Harding had a smug look on his face. His goal had basically been achieved. If Gu Ran didn't come in another twenty minutes, then Gu Ran would never be able to gain a foothold in Southampton! Coach Adkins said with a sullen face, "... Go on the court and warm up."

"Yes! Coach!"

Led by captain Davis, Southampton players left the locker room and walked out of the player tunnel.

The DJ at St. Mary's Stadium cheered passionately: "Saints! Let us welcome Southampton with the warmest applause and the most passionate cheers!"

"yeah!!!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Gu Ran! Gu Ran! Gu Ran——"

All Saints fans stood up, waving their team flags and Saints scarves, ready to witness Gu Ran's debut at St. Mary's Stadium! However, Gu Ran did not appear in the fans' field of vision until the starting players and substitutes entered the green field.

Saints fans were all stunned.

"What's going on? Am I blind? Why can't I see Gu Ran with black hair?"

"I didn't see him either! Gu Ran is so handsome, he must be the focus of the whole audience when he appears. Why can't I find him?"

"I'm still wearing Gu Ran's No. 8 jersey, but there's no No. 8 among the Southampton players on the field!"

"What the hell is going on? I'm here for Gu Ran! What is Southampton doing?"

"Don't worry, Gu Ran might be the last one to appear."

"I've been warming up for three minutes... Even if it's the finale, it should be over by now, right?"

"Are you... squatting in the toilet?"

“…”

Gu Ran still did not show up until the live DJ finished introducing the Southampton team's player list one by one.

Elizabeth, who was sitting in the wives' group, couldn't help but start to worry.

The wives and girlfriends of the players nearby started gossiping quietly: "Hey, did you guys read the Sun this morning? Gu Ran must have been having an affair with that bitch Abi."

"Sure enough, all of these men are lustful."

"Haha, this Gu Ran is really something. He just played a good game and he got so carried away that he even skipped the game just to pick up girls."

"I have always felt that grassroots players are unreliable. It is better to rely on our Hammond than on the grassroots."

"Actually, there's a secret I've never told you. Gu Ran is very lecherous. Every time I come to watch the game, he deliberately winks at me. He probably wants me to sleep with him!"

"You, you are spreading rumors! You bitches deserve to go to hell!" Elizabeth didn't know where she got the courage from, she stood up and cursed at those gossips.

The gossipers were surprised at first, and then laughed disdainfully:

"Hey, who is this woman?"

"It's probably Gu Ran's little lover."

"Your Gu Ran is going in and out with another woman, and you are still here speaking for him?"

Elizabeth was so angry that she was shaking all over. "Gu Ran is definitely not that kind of person! I believe him! Just wait and see! Gu Ran will definitely come! He will shock the whole place!"

"Tsk~"

"Hahaha!"

All the gossips laughed unscrupulously.

Elizabeth clenched her fists - if she hadn't had magic, she would have smashed these people into pieces.

At this moment, the Southampton executives in the main stand were also whispering to each other and asking each other about the situation.

When Old Rice learned that Gu Ran had not yet arrived at the stadium, his face was filled with horror.

Of course he knew Gu Ran, and he absolutely did not believe that Gu Ran would forget about the competition just to have an affair with a slut.

Something must have happened.

"Call the police." Old Rice said in a deep voice, "Gu might have been kidnapped by someone with ulterior motives. Let the Southampton police conduct a dragnet search in the wilderness. Quickly!"

"Ah? This... Old Rice, we don't have any evidence, and the police may not accept it."

"No need for evidence, my feeling and judgment are the evidence!" Old Rice said angrily, "Let me know who is behind this... I will tear him to pieces!"

"Okay...I'll call the police."

The scouts and media reporters sitting in the rows behind the main stand also began to stir.

Although they could not hear the conversation between the Southampton executives in the front row, it was not difficult to tell from the serious expressions on their faces that something had happened, and it was a big deal.

The game was about to begin, but the team's promising starting star had not yet appeared. This was an extremely rare occurrence in the entire home history of Southampton Club.

"Ha, I didn't expect that there would be big news before the game even started!"

"Tsk tsk, this Gu Ran is really a traffic treasure in our news industry! Just this morning, the news about him having a tryst with Abi last night came out, and now he doesn't even participate in the competition."

"He was a rising star that everyone was optimistic about, but he fell before he even rose."

"I told you, don't expect a grassroots player to become a real star."

"But then again, that slutty old bitch Abi is really good at what she does. She can actually make Gu Ran so happy that she doesn't even want to have a future."

“Hehehe, it’s because you’re good at your job! There’s a world of difference between the experience of being good at your job and being incompetent.”

"Hahaha, big brother has a life!"

Evelin, who was also sitting in the media area, was so angry that her eyes widened. “All of you shut up! Gu Ran is definitely not that kind of person! If you dare to talk nonsense again, be careful or I’ll tear your mouths apart!”

The media reporters were startled by Evelin and fell silent instantly.

In the scout area, Manchester United's Lawler raised his lips slightly, "Huh? Gu Ran really didn't show up? This is going to be... interesting."

Chelsea's Emenalo frowned slightly. "This shouldn't be the case! Did Gu Ran encounter any problems in the club? Did Gu Ran want to transfer but Southampton Club disagreed, so he was hidden by Southampton Club?"

"If that's the case..." Edwards of Liverpool's eyes lit up, "That's great! This way Gu Ran will have a better chance of transferring to Liverpool."

"What a pity," Manchester City's Pratt said with a smile, "If Gu Ran wants to transfer, he will transfer to our Manchester City."

The four scouts were all secretly gearing up! Although it was a pity that Gu Ran could not play, but...if there was a rift in the relationship between Gu Ran and Southampton Club, then it would be very easy to dig into the corner!

You don’t even have to wait for the winter transfer window. The summer transfer window hasn’t even ended yet, you can start digging now!

The adaptive warm-up time on the field passed by minute by minute.

The Saints fans at the scene were becoming more and more anxious.

Most of them came to watch the game this time because they saw Gu Ran, the rising star who could equalize with Liverpool!

Everyone wanted to see the wonderful performance of super star Gu Ran, who was able to equalize Liverpool with one assist and two shots in just half an hour at home.

But until now, they haven't seen any trace of Gu Ran.

Not even Gu Ran's hair was seen! Saints fans suddenly felt cheated! Many excited fans had already started booing the head coach on the bench and the executives on the main stand!

Some people even shouted for a refund! Southampton's tickets are relatively expensive in the entire English League One.

After all, Southampton is a "skinny camel" and was once a Premier League team, so the ticket price for a single game in the English League One is 12.5 pounds, and teenagers can enjoy half price.

Compared to other team tickets which cost no more than £10, it is indeed expensive.

The ticket prices for this pre-season friendly match were different from those for the English League One because there were many performances by local bands, plus it was the first home game of the new season, and Gu Ran was so popular, the ticket price for this friendly match reached 17.5 pounds - which was equivalent to the price of watching a Premier League game.

With such high ticket prices, but no one paying attention to the results, Saints fans are naturally very dissatisfied.

The DJ on the scene tried to comfort people in various ways, but it was still difficult to control the situation.

Head coach Adkins sat on the bench with his lips pursed, feeling extremely depressed.

What he was considering was not the ticket price at all, but the question of how he would deploy his troops if Gu Ran did not come - without Gu Ran, Southampton would be like losing a strong arm.

at the same time--

A small helicopter was flying over the wilderness according to the navigation.

Gu Ran stood on a flat place where he could land, waving the red and white jersey in his hand, signaling to the pilot.

The pilot immediately pressed down the flight steering wheel and slowly landed.

Without waiting for the helicopter to land, Gu Ran rushed onto the helicopter against the strong airflow.

The pilot asked, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Gu Ran?"

Gu Ran said: "Yes! You are finally here!"

The pilot said, "I am here on Sir Adelaide's orders to pick you up for the competition! Did you forget anything?"

Gu Ran quickly fastened his seat belt and urged, "No! Take off quickly!"

"Okay! The flight might be a little bumpy, and the sickness bag is ready for you, just to the left of your seat."

Gu Ran complained in his heart: Don't be ridiculous! I can vomit? Do you think I'm Wei Xiang? The helicopter took off, turned around in the air, and then rumbled and accelerated in the direction of St. Mary's Stadium.

Gu Ran felt a little dizzy...

The acclimatization warm-up at St. Mary's Stadium is over.

At the reminder of the on-site DJ, the players of Torquay United and Southampton left the field one after another.

Southampton fans expressed their dissatisfaction by booing.

The smugness on Haldin's face could no longer be concealed.

He was 100% sure that his plot had succeeded.

Haldin looked up at the cloudless sky - what a nice day it was!

In just 5 minutes, everything will be a foregone conclusion! Gu Ran's career prospects at Southampton are completely over! "Hello, player, may I ask..."

Just as Haldin was looking up at the clear sky proudly, a big hand patted Haldin on the shoulder.

Haldin looked back.

He saw a guy who was nearly two meters tall, looked like a dinosaur, and was wearing a Torquay United goalkeeper jersey, looking at him politely.

——This person is Tyrannosaurus Rex, Gu Ran’s teammate in the Southampton High School team, and currently serves as the substitute goalkeeper for Torquay United.

Haldin naturally didn't know what Tyrannosaurus Rex was, so he immediately asked coldly, "What are you doing?"

The Tyrannosaurus grinned and said, "Excuse me, where is Gu Ran from your club? Why can't I see him? Is he going to make a secret appearance at the last minute?"

Haldin smiled contemptuously, "Gu Ran? Humph, that little rubbish, he won't come."

The Tyrannosaurus Rex was stunned at first, then roared like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and grabbed Haldin's collar with his short hands, "What the hell did you say?! Do you dare to say it again!"

Harding was completely unprepared and was dumbfounded! He just called Gu Ran a piece of trash, why did the substitute goalkeeper on the other side act as if he was being called his own father? Harding didn't understand...

Upon seeing this, other players from both teams rushed over to separate the two to prevent the situation from escalating.

The referee blew the whistle and ran over, without saying anything, showing a yellow card to Tyrannosaurus Rex and Harding respectively.

The fans at the scene were all stunned.

The game hadn't even started yet, and the field hadn't even officially started yet, but both sides had received a yellow card.

This atmosphere...isn't it a bit too hot?

The two teams weren't enemies, were they? It was just a friendly match, was there any need to make it so tense? Harding was even more confused! He just looked up at the clear sky, and suddenly a irritable guy appeared, grabbed his neck, and caused him to get a yellow card? How unlucky!

Haldin spat on the ground, glared at the Tyrannosaurus Rex, then turned and walked into the player tunnel.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex also set a record for Torquay United's first yellow card in English football this season, with a time of minus 4:26 minutes.

Carter, the head coach of the Southampton school team, who was sitting in the stands, silently covered his face.

The incident was soon resolved.

Players from both teams returned to their respective locker rooms.

A small number of impatient Southampton fans didn't want to watch it anymore and started to leave.

The atmosphere in the Southampton locker room was also very depressing.

Coach Adkins appeared calm on the surface, but he kept looking at his watch from time to time.

There's really not much time left.

He still hoped that Gu Ran would come at the last moment.

But such possibility is becoming increasingly slim.

The team does not belong to one person, and it is impossible to end the game for one player.

Coach Adkins took a deep breath, scanned the crowd with sharp eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Go line up, Harding, you go."

Haldin sneered: "...All right then."

Coach Adkins was very angry when he saw Harding's smug look.

But there is no other way now.

Southampton is really short of people at the left-back position.

Coach Adkins suppressed his anger and said, "We should still play according to the established high-pressure tactics and strive to establish an absolute advantage in the first half. This is our home court and we should not give Torquay United any chance."

"Yes! Coach!"

Captain Davis took the lead and said: "Forward! Southampton!"

"go ahead!"

The players put their hands together to cheer each other on, then lined up in the player tunnel.

At this time, the Southampton fans at the scene still retained the last glimmer of hope. They hoped to see Gu Ran in the official starting lineup, and they were still looking forward to a surprise.

On the west stand, MaxxRT and others were also waiting anxiously.

"Where did you go, brother?"

"Yeah, what happened?"

"How can we continue the text commentary in the forum? We have already told the netizens that today is Ran Ge's home debut! But Ran Ge has not shown up yet, and the forum is full of questioning posts!"

"Oh, this is trouble! If Ran Ge didn't show up today, those trolls in China would definitely take the opportunity to make sarcastic remarks."

"Could it be that Brother Ran really forgot the time during his meeting with Abi?"

"I still believe in Brother Ran... He shouldn't... forget the time, right?"

"Hey, Brother Ran, it's taking too long."

At this time, the starting players of both teams walked out of the player tunnel under the guidance of the referee and the linesman.

Almost all Southampton fans widened their eyes and looked for Gu Ran among the starting team.

In the main stand, Manchester United's Lawler said excitedly: "What a pity! Gu Ran didn't show up!"

Chelsea's Emenalo also said excitedly: "This is really... such a pity!"

Edwards of Liverpool was so excited that he almost jumped up. "I can't wait to represent Liverpool and comfort my fellow countrymen!"

Manchester City's Pratt took out his phone and said, "Hello? Roberto, we can give Gu Ran an offer directly. That's it."

Lawler, Emenalo, and Edwards all looked at Pratt, unable to hide their desire to stab him.

At this time, players from both sides began to shake hands with each other.

After the handshake ceremony, the captains of both teams came to the referee to choose the side of the coin.

Torquay United's captain, No. 20 right-back Steve Tully was given priority to choose the side for Torquay United.

Southampton captain Davis got the kick-off right for Southampton.

The captains of both teams exchanged team flags and the players from both teams went to their respective half of the field to take photos.

After the group photo was taken, the players from both sides began to take their positions.

The Southampton fans at the scene were completely desperate.

Everyone is in position and the game is about to start, but Gu Ran hasn't shown up yet.

Those wives who spread rumors and gossipers were also very proud of themselves.

The reporters in the media area also looked like they were enjoying the fun.

Harding, who was standing in the left back area, was so proud that he almost flew to the sky.

The referee looked at his watch.

At this moment, the sound of a propeller roaring suddenly came from the clear and cloudless sky.

The roar became louder and louder, approaching rapidly like thunder.

Everyone couldn't help but look up at the sky.

A small helicopter flew in from the edge of the sun and headed straight for St. Mary's Stadium!

The plane is descending very fast!

The airflow from the propeller made all the players standing near the midfield retreat! Everyone at the scene couldn't help but widen their eyes and hold their breath! This was the first time they had seen a helicopter break into a game! The helicopter door opened before it had completely come to a complete stop.

The helicopter was suspended in the air one meter above the ground, doing a beautiful tailswing.

During the drift, Gu Ran, who had already changed into his jersey and sneakers, easily jumped off the helicopter one meter above the ground!

The helicopter completed a mid-air tailspin and quickly climbed away!

The whole scene was done in one go, just like a Hollywood special effects blockbuster! The Southampton fans were stunned! The Torquay United fans were also stunned!

The media reporters widened their eyes, their faces full of disbelief! The photographers on the sidelines pressed the shutter like crazy! The photographers pushed the close-up shots like crazy! Gu Ran had a cold face, pursed his lips, his eyes were cold and his steps were firm!

The residual airflow from the propeller wings clearly outlined every inch of muscle in his body!

It’s like a god descending to earth!

It's so explosive! So cool!

In just a few seconds, several young girls fainted in the stands! When everyone thought Gu Ran would not show up, he descended from the sky in the most shocking way!

Such an appearance was beyond everyone's expectations! "Oh my God! Am I dreaming?"

"Gu Ran? It's really our Gu Ran!"

"Oooooh!"

"Yeah yeah yeah!"

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

“Dad is here!”

The DJ at the scene was immediately excited and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Let me welcome Southampton's No. 8!"

“Gu——————————————————”

“Yes——————————————————”

Everyone stand up!

Thunderous applause!

Haldin... is stupid...

(End of this chapter)