Chapter 35: The Magpie Wants to Eat Bugs

Notts County had been ridiculed and disrespected by McLaren, and as the chairman of Notts County, David wasn't about to let it slide.

"Some people seem to think that being an assistant coach in England is a lifetime career, or that respecting professional ethics is important for both players and coaches," David began, speaking to reporters in an impromptu interview. "Some people have glaring deficiencies in this regard, perhaps because no one has ever taught them these things. It's truly pathetic."

"Mr. McLaren, if you have time, I'd suggest you focus on Middlesbrough's performance," David continued. "If you believe it's reasonable for Middlesbrough to be at the bottom of the Premier League standings, then I have nothing more to say."

"As for the distribution of the ticket revenue in the League Cup game, I think that's a matter for the club's chairman to decide, not for a head coach who should be focused on training. But if you're curious, I can answer it for you."

"Notts County will take only half of the revenue we're entitled to. We aren't interested in the other half of Middlesbrough's earnings. However, if Middlesbrough is having financial difficulties, we wouldn't mind donating our share to you. But this is not charity."

When McLaren saw David's response in The Times, his face flushed with embarrassment. His frustration was so intense that it nearly caused a heart attack. His assistant coaches quickly became concerned, fearing the manager might collapse during training.

McLaren, still furious, stormed around the training ground, cursing for a full five minutes. Only after he had exhausted himself did he retreat angrily to his office, slamming the door behind him.

"This bastard dares to say I lack professional ethics? A British team—Notts County—daring to provoke Middlesbrough like this... If I don't teach them a lesson in this match, I'll streak across the field tomorrow!" McLaren fumed, his anger consuming him.

But after a moment of reflection, he couldn't help but wonder—what exactly did Notts County have to challenge Middlesbrough?

Determined to find out, McLaren called his assistant coach in charge of intelligence gathering. The answer shocked him.

"What the hell? They've spent more money than us in the transfer market? Notts County's spending is higher than ours—Middlesbrough's entire transfer budget isn't even a third of theirs!"

McLaren couldn't believe it. This summer, Middlesbrough had spent £6.5 million on Southgate, £2 million on Greening, and £1.5 million on Wilson—totalling £10 million on just three players.

Meanwhile, Notts County had signed Alonso for a transfer fee that equaled the cost of all three of Middlesbrough's players combined.

This was unheard of for a second-tier English team. If David, Notts County's chairman, could allocate such transfer funds, McLaren felt he'd go mad with envy.

Knowing this, McLaren realized that Notts County was no joke. Even if Middlesbrough didn't take the League Cup seriously, he couldn't afford to let them be eliminated by a team from a lower division, especially not by Notts County.

So, the day before the match, McLaren made a surprising decision: his main players—who had been expecting a rest—would now play in the League Cup match.

On the day of the game, David arrived early with the team. As he had predicted, many fans had come out to support Notts County in their first encounter with a Premier League team this season. There were at least 5,000 of them in the stands, while the home fans were sparse and seemed indifferent, perhaps there more for the cheap tickets than any real enthusiasm for the game.

In the locker room, Loew was giving his usual pre-match speech, his tone inspiring and full of passion.

"Guys, many people say that we're up against a powerful Premier League team, and that our League Cup journey is about to end. The world seems to be looking at us with pessimism. But I want to ask—who here feels worse than our opponents?"

"Yes, they play in the Premier League, but I truly believe we are better. We are a team that can face our opponents head-on, and we will make everyone who underestimates us eat their words."

David sat in the locker room, barely able to contain his excitement. After Loew finished his speech, David jumped onto a bench, startling the players.

"We've been insulted by our opponents before the match," David yelled, his voice full of fire. "We were dismissed, ignored, and treated as nothing. Well, damn it—we are going to kill our opponents today! Let's create a miracle—a miracle of a Premier League team getting bloodied by a League One team! Let's nail Middlesbrough to the column of shame, and let them tremble every time they see us!"

The players roared in response, their spirits soaring. Despite the curses, David felt no harshness in their words—only determination.

The team surged out of the locker room with the energy of a team possessed. Loew and David exchanged a knowing look, both confident that victory was within their reach.

Middlesbrough's squad wasn't bad by any means. The central defense duo of Esiogou and Southgate were solid, while the midfield featured English international Paul Ince and Croatian striker Boksic. These players were crucial to Middlesbrough's Premier League standing.

Yet despite the quality of the squad, Middlesbrough had struggled. McLaren, who would later go on to manage the England national team and oversee its failure to qualify for the European Championship, had failed to inspire the same revival in his club. Middlesbrough's four-game losing streak had left them at the very bottom of the Premier League.

Just three days ago, Middlesbrough had suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat at home to Newcastle. Now they faced Notts County, thinking of them as a mere bug beneath their feet.

But they had forgotten one important law of nature—magpies eat bugs.

Middlesbrough might have thought they could crush Notts County without effort, but in reality, they were about to face a magpie from England's lower leagues. And sometimes, the smallest bugs can turn out to be the most dangerous.