152 Gradual Adaptation (Part I)

George's debut at Ewood Park was the focus of media coverage after the game. There is a big game in the third round of the Premier League, where Newcastle United face Liverpool. In this game, Liverpool was a big hit, and Newcastle fell short with a score of 4 to 1.

It didn't look like a strong conversation at all, with Liverpool's devastating Newcastle at St James' Park unable to fight back.

And Michael Owen, who became famous at the World Cup and started his legendary road, scored a hat-trick at St. James' Park in this game. Last season, Owen was the Premier League's top scorer with 18 goals.

Owen's performance in the World Cup is even more exciting, and Owen's form is still hot in the new season. It was only the third round of the game, and Owen scored a hat-trick in a strong conversation with Newcastle.

But such a high-profile game was not as much attention as George's Ewood Park debut. George's debut at Ewood Park was booed by his own fans and became the focus of all the media after the game.

Of course, it's a big joke in English football, and there are people who can't get used to seeing George so arrogant.

"The Sun" even made a big deal about the relationship between George and Blackburn, and even wrote about the grudge between George and Blackburn when he was the manager of Burnley.

Among them is a photograph of George provoking Blackburn fans after his first Carabao Cup win against Blackburn. There was also a last season when George said Hendry should be banned for life, leading to a period of war of words between the two sides in the media.

Even a lot of George himself has forgotten, and George's words about Blackburn's satire were listed by The Sun.

In the end, they said, "The cause of the past is the effect of the present."

Then they also analyze below that George's football has reached a dead end, and George's tactics have not been adapted to the Premier League.

'George started out at Burnley by counter-attacking and was lucky to have picked up a gem. That's former Burnley midfielder Michael Ballack, who is now Bayer Leverkusen. Ballack is a physically strong, excellent defender, and of course his long ball is extremely accurate. Plus his excellent header, earth-shattering long-range shot. With such a good midfielder, George was able to make his defensive counter-attack play so well. ”

"But a player like Ballack is not something that can be picked up casually, does Blackburn have a midfielder as good as Ballack now?"

But George still didn't give up on the tactics he was already used to, and the result was that Blackburn didn't score a goal in the first three rounds. That's the dead end of George's tactics. ”

The Sun is definitely one of the most influential tabloids in England, with one of the largest circulation in the world. This time, they were in the vanguard of the anti-George movement. Of course, George is a small person for The Sun, but George's news has been selling better lately.

Anyway, in football, there is no shortage of such people who fall into the ground. George was also one of the most famous young homegrown coaches in England in the summer in the summer. Now he is said by many media to be a person who is full of talent.

"George used the most rogue tactics in Bonne to win the League Cup and the FA Cup. His Burnley have not faced any formidable opponents throughout the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. Only in the final did they meet Chelsea and Arsenal. ”

"But in the final, George just used the most rogue tactics. The win over Arsenal would not have been possible for Burnley's FA Cup title if it weren't for Bergkamp's lack of coolness. ”

"It's fair to say that Burnley's League Cup and FA Cup titles are the least impressive in recent years. If George continues at Burnley, with Burnley's current team, he can still make a difference in the Premier League. ”

"But George came to Blackburn, a strange club, a hostile club. A coach who doesn't have any experience in the top league doesn't understand the cruelty of the top league at all. The difference between the top league and the lower league is not understood at all. Otherwise, it would not be possible for so many teams in the lower leagues to fight for relegation in the top league. ”

Blackburn Rovers were dazzled by George's two accidental cup wins, so they invited George. And to support George so much that he let George do whatever he wanted in Blackburn. I believe that even though it was only three games, Blackburn Rovers was already starting to regret it. ”

This was written by a reporter from the Post, and it was the first reporter to ask George a question during his first press conference as Blackburn Rovers head coach. At that time, George was badly damaged, but he remembered it firmly in his heart.

So he blamed George's two cup titles last season as a result of George's shameless tactics and a lot of surprises. Of course, that's the case with the cup competition, where the unexpected factor occupies a lot of aspects. It's like the schedule is simple, and you don't have to meet strong opponents. There is also a very unexpected red card from Bergkamp in the FA Cup final, which can be said to be Burnley's benefit.

But that didn't stop him, as George was a real player in the League Cup final and FA Cup final, beating two major Premier League rivals, Chelsea and Arsenal.

And he didn't mention another contribution from George at Burnley. That is, George led Burnley to double jump from League Two to a Premier League club in three years. This is impossible to do by luck alone.

But that's the way it is in the arena, when one person succeeds, everyone will hold you. Now George's grades are not good, and all the media is falling into the ground. For reporters, George has long seen through this. These reporters are just a bunch of guys who don't have any position and see the wind and steer.

Now the grades are not good, and George is not easy to refute. So George just shut down Ewood Park, not only did he not let fans in, but he also didn't let reporters in. Externally, it was said that the training would be closed, and even the 10-minute, 20-minute, and even half-hour interview time given to reporters had been withdrawn.

Even George ordered all the players not to be interviewed by any media at this time.

Now George has no other way but to rely on results. As long as the results are good, these media will now immediately turn their tables and praise George.

…………

In the fourth round of the league, Blackburn Rovers host Coventry.

Coventry is a professional football team located in the city of Coventry, West Midlands (Midwest), England, founded in 1883. Although it has a history of more than 100 years, the club's honor is almost blank. Only a little over a decade ago won an FA Cup for Coventry for the first time.

Although Coventry has been fighting for relegation in recent seasons, last season's Coventry was impressive. Under the leadership of Gordon Strachan, the team won the relegation battle before the end of the season. Thanks to the heroic performances of Dean Dablin and Darren Hackby, the team went 13 games unbeaten and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1987.

With his impressive performances last season, Gordon Strachan finished just a little behind George in the Young Coach of the Year award for England. If it weren't for George's appearance, last year's Young Coach of the Year would have been Gordon Strachan.

But this year Coventry has taken the most important man in the forward line, and Dean Dablin has been sold to Villa.

Coventry are weak in their own right, and this year they have gone Dean Dablin. The strength has dropped even more, and this is a great opportunity.

As in the first game, George was booed again at home. But George got used to it, not sitting on the bench like in the first game, standing on the sidelines from start to finish. No matter how much those fans booed him, he didn't care at all.

George has always asked the team on the court to control the ball, not to rush to attack, and not to defend with all his strength.

Coventry are relatively weak, and George will need to use them to get Blackburn's new signings up to the pace of the Premier League as quickly as possible.

The results of these games also made George understand that the ambition before the season still needs to be realistic. Before the season, George thought he could lead Blackburn Rovers and soon become a Premier League powerhouse. In the battle between Manchester United and Arsenal, there is also a place for Blackburn.

But it soon became clear to George that a strong team doesn't just come out of nowhere. Blackburn have strong players at the moment, but it's not like they're strong now. They still need to cooperate and adapt before they can become a strong team.

Therefore, in this game, George did not attack Coventry, but controlled the ball and advanced slowly.

Judging from the course of the game, Blackburn's performance met George's requirements. Claude Makelele did a very good job in the midfield position and was not a bit sticky like in previous games. And Miku and Deco no longer lose the ball all the time, and can control the ball calmly. Occasionally, he is able to make very imaginative passes.

In the boos of the fans, it was not affected much. In the end, at their home turf, they were forced to draw by Coventry. George led Blackburn to a second Premier League point.

Despite a 0-0 draw with Coventry City and a goalless scoresheet, George is already very happy with his team's form.

In four rounds, Blackburn Rovers drew two and lost two, earning only two points. Sitting second from bottom in the Premier League, the bottom one is Nottingham Forest. They have drawn just one game against Blackburn Rovers and have only one point.