When Allan looked for Twain, it was when he and Evan Adams were about to attend the Champions League group stage draw ceremony. He was surprised to find that there was another person in the car.
In the past, it was the manager and the club chairman who went to the draw. Some teams did not even have the club chairman go, but Evan insisted on going. He must have something to do. He did not expect Allan to go with him.
"I'm not going to look for them, Tony." Allan smiled at Twain in the car on the way to London Heathrow Airport. "I have something to talk to you about."
"With me?" Twain was a little puzzled.
"Yes." Allan nodded.
Evan, who was sitting in the front row, had not made a sound since the beginning of the conversation.
Twain rolled his eyes, and he roughly knew what was going on.
"Because of that China football talent show?"
Allan smiled. "You're very smart, Tony. Yes, it's because of that matter. I heard that a China reporter went to look for you, hoping to talk to you about the talent show collaboration, but you directly refused? "
Twain turned his head to look outside, then turned back to Allan and said, "She went to look for you again?" He did not answer directly, but it was tantamount to admitting it.
"No, I heard it from someone else, not from the China people." Allan added, "It was someone from Britain's Sports Information Company. They said they were recently planning to organize a television talent show that no one in the world has ever done …"
Twain was a little stunned. "Wasn't it organized by China's media on a whim?"
"It's jointly organized by the two countries. In addition to the two Premier League clubs, there's also Fremantle Media and GroupM Group involved in this plan."
Twain was unfamiliar with these names. Whether before or after his transmigration, he never studied anything related to the economy. Perhaps some names were famous in the economic world, but to Twain, they were like nobodies.
Allan clearly saw the confused look on Twain's face, so he further explained, "You should know about Britain's Sports Information Company, right? It's a famous British sports agency. "
Twain nodded to indicate that he knew. He was clear about things related to sports.
"Fremantle Media and Communications is a media company in Australia, but they are also very famous and influential in the English-speaking world. They were experts in reality TV shows. They held the rights to produce talent shows like America's Got Talent in Australia. As for Syndicate, it was a giant in England's media industry. A subsidiary of the world's second largest advertising group, WPP. "
Twain nodded. "You mean I rudely rejected a seemingly attractive business deal and a large number of distinguished guests?"
Allen smiled and shook his head. "I didn't say that, Tony."
At this moment, Evan, who had been silent all this time, said, "Allen just feels that it's a pity, Tony. This is a good opportunity to break into the China market and continue to expand and consolidate our position in the hearts of the Chinese fans. "
"China market?" "You don't understand that place. Ninety-nine percent of the fans there won't buy your authentic apparel and souvenirs …" Tang En thought to himself, I was like that back then. An authentic jersey cost more than 700 RMB. How many fans could afford it? Football was not an aristocratic sport like golf. The people who liked football were all ordinary people, students and children. Think about it. How many of them would be willing to fork out a thousand RMB to buy a jersey?
"All right, Allen. Although I don't know much about economics, I can give you an example that I know. It happened recently. Didn't the English Premier League sign a new broadcasting contract before the new season? It was signed both domestically and overseas. In China, the winning bidder was a company called … Tiansheng. They bought the broadcasting rights for the English Premier League's three seasons in China, as well as the broadcasting rights for some of the Serie A matches. Then they decided to introduce a paid service. Pay-per-view television … that's normal, right? In England, but in China, Tiansheng was unanimously boycotted. Do you know why? "
Allen and Evan shook their heads at the same time. In Europe and America, pay-per-view television had long become a tradition and routine. But in China, everyone was still used to watching free matches. But that was not the crux of the problem.
"The crux of the problem is that the company Tiansheng set the price of pay-per-view television too high. It costs 188 RMB a month! This amount of money is undoubtedly not a small burden for most ordinary China fans. Although the English Premier League is exciting, in order to protest against Tiansheng's unreasonable practices, many China fans chose not to watch it, or to watch the free live broadcast through internet cracking tools … I have no doubt that Tiansheng will fail in the end, because that is the national situation in China. The price is too expensive. Football is a commoner's sport, but in China, it is almost like an aristocratic sport by some people. A pirated jersey only costs 35 RMB. Allen, you study economics. You should know the exchange rate between RMB and British pounds. "
Allen nodded. "It's about two and a half pounds."
Evan took a cold breath. That was really cheap.
"But how much is the authorized genuine product? More than a thousand RMB. This price is already higher than the ticket prices of two-thirds of the English Premier League teams. "Tang En said," How much do our jerseys sell for in China? "
Allen replied, "Forty to forty-five pounds."
"There are people who say this price is expensive in England, not to mention China." Tang En's mouth drew back. "If you go to China, it will be even higher if you include the import tariff … Actually, many genuine jerseys are only manufactured in China. Nike, Adidas, Enbao, and Puma all have factories in China. "
Hearing Tang En say this, Allen muttered, "Our jerseys only cost seven to ten pounds each …" He suddenly raised his head and held Tang En's hand. "Thank you, Tony!"
Tang En was confused by Allen's action. "Huh?"
"Thank you for giving me such a vivid lesson, letting me know what the China market is really like."
Tang En began to feel that something was wrong. He had originally wanted to persuade Allen to give up his unrealistic fantasies about the China market. Now, it seemed that he had aroused the other party's interest …
"As you said, Tony, the crux of the problem is the price. We can't simply and crudely copy everything in England and go to China. Compared to England, China is still just a developing country in China. The spending power there is not high. If we directly move the prices here to there, it will make the people there feel that things are too expensive, and they will not have the desire to spend. "Allen organized his thoughts and shared them with the other two people in the car.
"If we find a factory in China to process our jerseys and other souvenirs, and then sell them at a price that is in line with the local consumption level … To be honest, I don't think we won't succeed. The materials and labor will all come from China, and we will only provide one brand — Nottingham Forest's brand … "
Tang En interrupted him. "I'm sorry, Allen. But before us, there were other clubs that did the same, such as Manchester United … "
Allen smiled warmly, not showing the slightest dissatisfaction at Tang En's interruption. "That's because they can't let go of the airs of a powerhouse club. They have not truly entered this huge market. They think that by opening a few restaurants, a few specialty shops, or some official Chinese website, they will be considered to have entered the China market. In reality, that is not the case. That is only on the surface. They do not understand this country, do not understand this country's people, and do not understand this country's economic level and traditional culture. They directly copied what they did in other countries and regions, but this method does not work in a place like China. And we are very lucky to have an assistant manager from China, and a manager who is so proficient in China's culture. "
Allen looked at Tang En and smiled. "The things you said made me think you were a China person."
Tang En became alert. He appeared to be overly proficient in China's culture, so he scratched his head. "Uh, most of it was told to me by Dunn. And … that China female reporter, we sometimes talk about such topics. "
"I don't care who told you, Tony. In short, I don't think there will be any other club in the world that is more suitable to enter the China market than our Forest. " Allen counted his fingers for Tang En. "A Chinese player who is well-known in China, a newly rising China assistant manager, and a manager who is very interested in China's culture as a 'China expert.' We have the advantage of being more approachable than other teams. "
Tang En thought of how he had defeated those teams that also enjoyed great prestige in China and humiliated their coaches and fans. Would those China fans feel that he was very approachable? Who knew …
"So, Tony." Evan turned his head and said, "We still hope to talk to the people from the talent show and try to work with them. I think this is a key, a key to help us open the door to China. "
"And, I believe they will be very happy for us to look for them to work with," Allen added. Alan added, "The two clubs they found don't have much influence. If we join, it'll be different."
Tang En agreed with this point. He heard from Dunn that Tang Jing was a little dissatisfied with only finding Everton and Bolton Wanderers to work with.
He was actually not an idiot who did not understand anything. He knew that when it came to interests, it was best to put aside personal feelings. For example, he hated the talent show, but if it could bring benefits to the team and the club, he had to agree. What's more, if the club could make more money, wouldn't he also benefit from it? With sufficient funds for the construction of the new stadium, wouldn't he not have to be strapped for cash in the transfer market?
Evan and Allen were both looking at him. The two men did not speak and just looked at him, but it was already obvious what they meant.
Tang En raised his hands and made a gesture of surrender. "Well, I admit defeat. I have no objections to working with them on the talent show. Anyway, I'm only responsible for leading the team to train and play in the competition. Allen will be responsible for the commercial development and opening up the China market. We'll do what you guys say. "
The other two men looked at each other and smiled. "Then it's settled. This matter will be handed over to Allen." Evan Doughty gave the final order as the club's chairman.
When they arrived at London Heathrow Airport, Allen did not board the plane with the two men. He returned the ticket in front of Tang En. Tang En was a little puzzled. "Aren't you going to Zurich with us?"
Allen smiled and shook his head. "I was going to follow you to Switzerland if I couldn't convince you in the car and continue to convince you. But there's no need for that now. "
Tang En grinned.
Following that, the three men parted ways at the airport. Tang En and Evan flew to Switzerland together to participate in the Champions League group stage draw ceremony, while Allen returned to Nottingham to find the relevant person in charge to discuss the possibility of working together again.
※ ※ ※
As the defending champion, Nottingham Forest received widespread media attention. From the time Tang En drew the lot to his departure from Switzerland and return to England, the media followed him all the way. He was no longer the unknown player who sat in the corner and no one cared about him when he first participated in the draw.
No matter where he went, the camera flashes followed him closely.
In the end, as the defending champion, Nottingham Forest drew a not bad lot. They were grouped in Group A with Porto of Portugal, Marseille of France, and Beşiktaş of Turkey.
The first game would be held on the evening of September 18th. Nottingham Forest would challenge the 2004 UEFA Champions League champion, Porto, in an away game.
It was a clash of champions against champions. There would definitely be a good show.
※ ※ ※
When Tang En and Evan returned to Nottingham, there was a matter waiting for them, which required the three of them to decide together.
Allen was a man who would act immediately once he made a decision. Taking advantage of the day of the Champions League group stage draw, he settled all the organizers and co-organizers of the talent show.
The other party agreed to let Nottingham Forest join the talent show. But there was a problem now. The show organizers had already agreed with the two clubs, Everton and Bolton Wanderers. The winner of the older talent show would enter the Everton club for a one-year trial, while the runner-up would enter the Bolton Wanderers club for a one-year trial. As for the third place in the final, he could only accept the cruel reality — he was luckier than those who were eliminated and had the right to look forward to the top two, but in the end, he could only leave empty-handed.
Originally, the top three could have been rewarded, and it would have been a happy ending in the end. But with Nottingham Forest's refusal, they had to revise the results of the final. Of course, both China and Britain felt that the result was not bad. It was cruel enough, suspenseful enough, and exciting enough. In the end, they could even stir up the emotions.
Therefore, the plan had been reported to the two clubs, Everton and Bolton Wanderers.
At this time, Nottingham Forest suddenly wanted to join … The original arrangement was for the champion to go to Nottingham Forest. In this way, could Everton give up this spot? Obviously not. It was disrespectful to the Everton club.
Therefore, if the Forest team decided to join now, they could only accept the condition of receiving the third place for the trial.
Allen did not agree. He thought the European champion should have the status of a European champion.
Tang En laughed after hearing the whole story. "It's okay, Allen. We're going to be third. Anyway, what you want is the China market, not China's talented players. Besides, according to … Dunn, in China's talent show, the most capable one is usually not the champion. "
Evan also felt that it was meaningless to fight with Everton for that empty title. It did not matter who came first, second or third.
The matter was settled.
The organizers finally came up with an idea. At first, they did not announce the Nottingham Forest football team's participation at all. They only said that the Nottingham Forest club officially supported the show. As for the treatment of the older group's champion, second and third place, they would still follow the previously advertised set — after the cruel and intense finals, only two lucky people would receive the treatment of a year's trial at a British club.
Then, until the final moment of the finals, when the third place was sobbing in front of the public, a representative of the "mystery guest" Nottingham Forest would appear at the scene and announce that the third place would receive a year's trial at the European champion, Nottingham Forest Football Club. It would let the live audience, the television audience, and the third place person feel the great joys and sorrows of life. Only then would there be a dramatic effect.
Everyone felt that this idea was very good. Just thinking about it was enough to make a group of foreigners and Chinese excited. This was a real "reality show". There was no acting involved at all, and the true feelings were revealed.
Tang En, on the other hand, cursed the group of people in his heart. Aren't they messing with us? If anyone dared to use it on him, he would definitely make them suffer!
※ ※ ※
Not to mention whether this was good or bad for the final three lucky people whose fates had already been arranged.
In any case, for Tang Jing, who was bent on producing results, Nottingham Forest's decision to join at the last moment was definitely a great thing. So, the next day, Tang En saw her among the crowd of reporters outside the Wilford training base.
"Mr. Tang En!" She waved happily at Tang En and squeezed forward with a bright smile on her face.
"Why are you so happy? Are you getting married? "Tang En teased her with a straight face.
"No way!" Tang Jing retorted with a smile. For the first time, she did not contradict Tang En.
"You want to interview me? I'm really sorry, but I don't accept interviews during working hours. "In fact, Tang En had just entered the training base, and the team members had not arrived yet. Where did "working hours" come from?
Unexpectedly, no matter how hard Tang En's words were, Tang Jing's face was still full of smiles.
Tang En felt that there was something wrong with this woman's mind today. He did not want to bother with her anymore and planned to leave quickly. Just as he turned around, he heard Tang Jing say in Mandarin from behind, "Thank you, Mr. Tang En!"
Tang En did not turn back. A hint of a smile appeared on his stiff face. This little girl was quite interesting …
He pretended not to hear and walked away.
Tang Jing was still looking at his back and giggling foolishly. Dunn, who had been standing beside Tang En without saying a word, looked at her and asked curiously, "Is there a need to be so happy?"
So, Tang Jing looked at him and said with a smile, "Thank you too, Dunn."
Dunn finally muttered and left. Now, he and Tang En felt that there was something wrong with the woman in front of him today.
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