Leading the three men through Wilford Lane, Dunn returned to the youth training base he had not been to for some time. Buds sprouted from the branches that had withered for the winter, and the greenery filled the slightly deserted training base. He used to be familiar with everything here because he had worked here for ten years.
After a brief introduction of the training base, Dunn took them to the office of Ian Greenwood, the head of the youth training.
Greenwood had been waiting there for a long time. He was really waiting, unlike Tang En who was playing Minesweeper on the office computer.
"Ah ha, nice to meet you, kids!" Greenwood looked happy to see the three young people. The smile on his face came from the heart, and it was much more cordial than Tang En's pretentious look. "I'm Ian Greenwood, the head of Nottingham Forest's youth training."
"Hello, Mr. Greenwood!" The three men replied politely.
"Thank you, Dunn." Greenwood nodded and turned to Dunn.
Dunn nodded. "From now on, they'll follow you. You'll be in charge of their training schedule, Ian."
"No problem."
"Tell them about the things they need to pay attention to." Dunn pointed to the three Chinese kids behind him.
The three children stood in front of Greenwood. The two younger ones were nervous, but Chen Jian relaxed.
"Welcome, kids. You'll get the most systematic and formal training here. I don't care if you can become professional players in a year or in the future, but our training is to push you towards that goal. In other words, you're not talent stars here. You're just ordinary members of the youth team. "Greenwood did not beat around the bush and directly explained the rules to the three.
"First of all, the club does not provide a collective dormitory. You're just like other ordinary kids, and you'll be on a walkthrough basis. In terms of accommodation, the club has publicly selected three families from the club's fans. Other than training, you'll stay in their homes and live with them like ordinary kids. "
The three men nodded. They knew the rules. Before they came, they had crammed on English, but whether they could really communicate with the landlords … No one would expect them to speak English fluently like a real British child. Take it slow.
"Also, Chen." Greenwood turned to look at Chen Jian. "Your transfer application has also been approved. You will continue your studies at the University of Nottingham. Did they inform you? "
Chen Jian nodded. "Yes, sir."
"En. In a while, I'll bring you to your respective teams to get to know your teammates … In the future, you'll be living together. I hope you'll have a good time here … "Greenwood looked at Chen Jian again.
"As for you, Chen. Your training plan is a little different. Apart from the group training, you also have a special individual training plan. "
Both Chen Jian and Dunn, who was in charge of translation, were surprised.
"This plan was made especially for you because you have not received very professional training. After you complete the team's daily training, you still have to do more basic training. "
Dunn suddenly thought of something and whispered in English before translating, "Tony gave it to you?"
Greenwood nodded and was a little surprised at the same time. "What? Don't you know, Don? "
Dunn shook his head. His conjecture had been cited …
"That's strange. I thought he would tell you everything first …" Greenwood muttered.
Chen Jian looked strangely at the two coaches who were whispering to each other. Although he did not know what they were talking about, he guessed that it must have something to do with him.
"That training plan …"
"Oh, it was once used by George Wood, with some slight modifications." Greenwood downplayed it, but Dunn's heart trembled. He finally understood why Tang En had told Chen Jian that the training was difficult and that it was not too late to give up now …
If it were Tang En who knew about this, he might have cursed. But Dunn was not, so he was only speechless.
He looked at Chen Jian and did not believe that the dark-skinned fellow from Sichuan in front of him could endure that kind of training for a year. Was this too cruel? Would the organizers of the talent show protest?
"Coach Dunn?" Seeing that Dunn was in a daze, Chen Jian, who had not waited for the translation for a long time, could only call out to remind him.
"Ah … sorry. Manager Greenwood said that while you complete the team's daily training, you still have to do additional training related to basic training, "Dunn translated.
Chen Jian did not express any objections. He nodded and smiled, feeling that it was only natural. "Ah, my foundation is not very good. It's great to be able to arrange such training." It looked like the Forest team was really responsible. No wonder they could win the UEFA Champions League, no wonder they were England's professional football club …
Looking at his expression, Dunn did not know what to say.
Greenwood's voice rang out again. "Then, good luck to you, kids!"
You really do need some luck … Dunn added in his heart.
※ ※ ※
He then followed the three kids to their locker room to get to know their teammates. Dunn acted as a translator. After doing this, he returned to South Wilford. The First Team's training had already begun on the training ground. He walked straight to Tang En's side.
"What's the matter, Dunn?" Tang En took off his sunglasses and looked at his assistant.
"What's the matter with that training plan, Tony?"
"Uh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you in advance … We were busy studying AC Milan at the time and I was afraid to distract you …" Tang En thought he was unhappy about not knowing. But Dunn interrupted him.
"It's not that. I mean, do you really think that training plan is suitable for Chen Jian?"
"So I made some changes …" Tang En looked at Dunn. He understood, but he was still a little surprised because he thought Dunn would not mind. "You think it's too harsh?"
"George Wood is a monster, but Chen Jian is not." Dunn's expression was serious. "I think you should reconsider that training plan. I'm not against strengthening the basics, but … "
"Do you like Chen Jian a lot, Dunn?" Tang En stopped watching the training and put all his energy into the debate with Dunn.
"This has nothing to do with personal feelings. This is work. I think your training plan is too harsh for a kid who's almost nineteen years old. It doesn't meet the purpose of training. Regardless of whether he can become a professional footballer in the future, training is not torture … "Dunn himself felt that he was especially courageous at this moment. Could this be considered to be talking back to the manager? He rarely got angry with Tang En — except when it came to tactics, which clearly had nothing to do with tactics — and he had always felt that Tang En's mentality was abnormal. He could understand a former Chinese football fan who had been heartbroken by China's football and looked down on domestic football and talent shows. But Chen Jian was innocent. Firstly, he was not a professional footballer. Secondly, he was not an official of the Football Association. He was not even a relative of a professional footballer or assistant manager. He was also not the instigator of the national talent show that had become a disaster in China. He was just an ordinary football teenager with a dream. No one had the right to vent their anger against that kind of system on an ordinary teenager.
"Do you have a dream, Dunn?"
He thought Tang En would fly into a rage and roar at him. But Tang En only asked this question calmly.
Dunn, who did not expect it at all, froze for a moment and did not answer Tang En's question.
"Have you ever had the impulse to do something?" Tang En asked again in a calm tone.
※ ※ ※
In the eyes of outsiders, the Tony Twain before January 1, 2003 — which was the current Dunn — was an old-fashioned and boring person without any interest in life.
His life was as boring as an iceberg.
He never argued with others, never got angry, never talked nonsense, never did anything unrelated to work, was not impulsive, and did not have much passion. He might even look a little weak and timid. So, after the club announced that he would take over Paul Hart as the acting manager of Forest's First Team, many fans expressed disappointment with the decision and mercilessly scolded and ridiculed him on the training ground and on the field. In the eyes of these typical English people, football was a man's sport. You could be a gentleman, but you could not be a coward.
Yet, in their eyes, Dunn was a coward, a man without balls between his legs.
He did not think of changing other people's view of him because he did not care. He lived in his own world. This world was black and white. Apart from football, there was still football. He only cared about matters related to football.
He did not care if others scolded him, mocked him, looked down on him, said that his mother was a whore, said that he was not a man, said that he was a clown … But when it came to matters related to football, he could not help but care. He cared more than anyone else.
Once he thought of the first official First Team match that he would be managing alone, he could not suppress the excitement in his heart.
He wanted to win. For this, he had made a lot of very detailed preparations. He was confident that he had considered all aspects properly and that he would be able to achieve the results he wanted in the match. But …
※ ※ ※
"I once really wanted to win a match," he said.
Tang En remembered the red note pasted on the refrigerator door. The words on it and the three exclamation marks still appeared clearly in front of him.
"I'm sorry …" Tang En said softly. "But since you've had that kind of experience, I think maybe I can explain it to you …"
Dunn did not speak, waiting for Tang En's explanation.
"Have you heard of this saying, Dunn? 'Men, in this life, will definitely have one thing that they want to accomplish no matter what.' "
Dunn froze for a moment. Tang En did not look at his expression. He was looking at the players running on the field.
"This is a line from an animation I watched when I was young. I've forgotten the name of the animation and the content of the story. I only remember this line. I was still young then. Later on, when I think about it, I still feel my blood boiling. I feel that as long as you're a man, you'll definitely resonate with this line. Because everyone has something — maybe not just one thing — that they have to accomplish. "
Dunn listened quietly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Maybe it's to protect their loved ones, maybe it's to work hard to earn money, maybe it's to fulfill a promise … Maybe it's just to play football. Regardless of whether it's remarkable or insignificant in the eyes of others, that thing is everything to them … At least at that time, it's like that. No matter how difficult it is, no matter how incomprehensible it is, no matter whether you have the ability to complete it … In short, you'll do it. You'll give it your all to do it. Can you understand that feeling, Dunn? "
Tang En retracted his gaze and turned to look at Dunn, who was standing beside him.
"After Chen Jian found out about the extra training, did he express any dissatisfaction or hesitation?" He continued to ask without waiting for Dunn to answer.
Dunn shook his head. "He happily agreed."
Tang En smiled.
"In China, there are thousands of people who like the sport of football. Many people will make it their dream to play professional football at a higher level. Some people just think about it, while others work hard with it as a goal. The difference between Chen Jian and them is that he has the opportunity to realize this dream. Regardless of whether he succeeds or not, it's also an opportunity. Based on Chen Jian's performance in the talent show, do you think he'll easily give up this opportunity? "
Dunn shook his head. "No."
"Yes, that's why I asked him just now. It's not too late to give up now. He said, 'I can't give up, sir.' Of course, he can't give up, because this is his dream. It's something he has to accomplish in his life no matter what. The training plan is a little harsh, but considering his age and foundation, he can't realize this dream within a year no matter how hard he works if he only uses ordinary methods. So, I let him follow George Wood's original training plan. If he can persevere, I believe his performance will not be too bad no matter what. He has used his actions to prove that he hasn't given up, and I'll consider giving him another chance. " Tang En made a gesture. "If he really can't persevere, whether it's because of physical or psychological reasons, and he can't persevere, I won't force him. I'll stop training immediately and tell him that the road to pursuing his dream has come to an end."
"What if his body can't persevere, but his heart insists on it?" Dunn asked. He believed that with Chen Jian's character, such a situation could really happen. It was clear that his body couldn't bear it, but he insisted on it. The end result was likely to damage his body.
Tang En waved his hands. "Then I'll have to be the bad guy again. I'll drag him out of the training ground and kick him back to China. I'll tell him, 'What professional football? Bullsh * t dreams. You'd better go to university honestly. You still have your feet on the ground. ' What do you think, Dunn? "
Dunn was silent for a while. Indeed, that training plan might be a little harsh for a football enthusiast like Chen Jian. But before everything happened, who could say that he couldn't do it?
Anyway …
"Well, I'll pay close attention to this training plan anyway. Once I find something wrong … "
Tang En butted in. "Dunn, have you noticed that you're getting more and more maternal?"
Dunn was forced to stop mid-sentence as he coughed.
Looking at his embarrassed look, Tang En could not care less about the fact that he was still training and laughed heartily.
The two of them attracted the attention of everyone present.
"Boss is so happy … Did something good happen?"
"Who knows, he's been whispering with Manager Dunn since just now …"
"Don't tell me he's thought of some torturous idea again?"
"…"
※ ※ ※
Nottingham Forest's hardcore fan, Fat John, and his equally fat wife stood in front of their house. They had waited for the young China player that the club had mentioned.
"H-hello …" Without a translator, Chen Jian greeted his two landlords with a bow in English. His spoken language was still not very good, so it sounded a little stuttering. "My name is Chen Jian, and I'm from Sichuan, China. From today onwards, I'll be staying here for a year. Please forgive me for disturbing you … "
Fat John laughed heartily as he patted Chen Jian, who was in front of them. "Don't talk so much, hurry up and come in!" He went to carry Chen Jian's luggage, but Chen Jian picked it up at an even faster speed.
"I-I can do it myself. Thank you, thank you!" The stuttering caused by Chen Jian's unpracticed language became the nervousness of arriving at a foreign place for the first time in John's eyes.
"Okay, okay. Relax, child. " John opened his arms. "Welcome to the home of the most hardcore Forest fan in all of Nottingham … No, the home of the most hardcore Forest fan in all of England. I promise you'll like it here!"
Chen Jian thought he said he liked Nottingham Forest, so he hurriedly said, "I like Nottingham Forest, and I'm a supporter of Manager Tony Twain!"
"Ah, yes, yes, we all are. I have a good relationship with that d * mned guy. We often drink together. Speaking of which, it was his idea to arrange for you to stay at my house … "Because he realized he had just said a dirty word, John's subsequent words were a little unclear.
As a result, Chen Jian did not understand his rapidly passing English.
He could not be bothered to figure out what the landlord's words meant. He curiously looked around at his "home" in England.
He never thought that winning the draft would be a dream come true if he could get the qualification to train at Nottingham Forest for a year.
After Wang Yang found out that he was the unluckiest of the three — because he was assigned to the weakest team, Bolton Wanderers — he said somewhat dispiritedly that he did not come to England to become a professional player. He just came to experience the atmosphere of the world's top professional football, that was all.
Chen Jian did not think there was anything wrong with what Wang Yang said, or that there was anything bad about it. Because that was Wang Yang's business. Anyway, his goal had not changed since he decided to participate in the various divisions of the draft — I just want to play professional football. Perhaps in the current football environment in China, wanting to play professional football is a very embarrassing thing, but I just want to.
For me, Chen Jian, coming to England is not a dream come true, but a final sprint.
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