It had been seven months since he arrived in the distant United Kingdom from China. Chen Jian had gradually become accustomed to life in this distant country. In an environment where English was spoken everywhere, his language progress was very fast. It was just that his academic progress at the University of Nottingham was slow.
It was not that he did not want to do well in his studies, but he was too tired.
In the beginning, the landlord, Fat John, and his family were used to seeing the somewhat tanned China lad drag his exhausted body home after training. After eating, he would return to his room to practice English. The next morning, he would go to Wilford if there was training. If there was no training, he would take the bus to the University of Nottingham for classes.
The simple days repeated like this. He rarely or almost never went shopping in the city center, nor did he go to the parks to relax and play, except sometimes when John got extra tickets and asked him to go to the City Ground to watch a Forest game. To him, a city with the legendary English hero Robin Hood was just "Wilford Training Base," "Nottingham University," and "Mr. John's home," as well as the roads between them.
That hard life had slowly improved recently, and his English listening and speaking skills were no longer a problem. He could now communicate smoothly with the landlord's family at the dining table and listen to John talk about Nottingham Forest's proud past.
His body had also adapted to the youth team's training program, and he showed his consistent qualities in training — strength and hard work.
But he still felt very tired. Not only because the training was particularly intense, but also because of psychological reasons …
Chen Jian had developed the habit of writing a diary every day since he came to the United Kingdom. His original intention was — this was a valuable life experience, and he did not want this experience to gradually be forgotten over time. Therefore, he wanted to use the form of words to record every bit of his training, study and life in Nottingham.
Now looking back at the previous diary, with those crooked words, he would recall every day of the past seven months. In fact, he felt that even if he did not write a diary, these seven months, or even the remaining five months, would not be easily erased from his memory. It was too deep, too solid. It was as real and clear as the soreness in his body after training every day.
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…
"Chen! Can't you run anymore? Can't you do it? " The youth team manager, Greenwood, lowered his body and opened his mouth wide, almost biting Chen Jian's ear. He shouted at the exhausted Chen Jian in English, not caring if he could understand him or not. "If you can't do it, you can go home now! No one here will make you stay! No one here has any hope for you! You're the lucky one chosen from a talent show! Do you really think you're that lucky? Stand up! Continue practicing! You still have twenty more shuttle runs! Don't waste my dinner time, this is the most ordinary youth team training! "
Chen Jian couldn't understand what Greenwood was shouting about, even though the coach's voice was always this loud during training. But he knew that the British coach must be dissatisfied with him — he had never seen anyone who would lie next to your ear and praise you with a ferocious face.
He got up from the ground and continued to run forward with the ball. After a few steps, he stumbled and fell to the ground again. But this time, before Greenwood could rush forward to act as "Skylord Raging Roar," he got up and continued.
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"Do you lack calcium or have you had polio since you were a child? Chen! How can you play football if you can't even take such a little bump? Are you a chick? Did you secretly stuff sanitary pads in your underwear? Is that coming?! Get up and continue! What are you hiding for! This isn't f * * king playing football, this is war! If you can't win, you'll die. If you don't die on the battlefield, you'll die here! If you're so afraid of getting hurt, I can recommend you to train with ten-year-old kids! Are all you Chinese people like this? Direct confrontation! Direct confrontation! How many times do you want me to say it?! Direct confrontation!! "
Chen Jian could more or less hear what the youth team's loud-mouthed coach was yelling. He did not refute loudly, nor did he walk away. Instead, he got up from the ground and rushed towards his opponent while yelling. Then, he used a foul to knock the opposing player to the ground.
The young man who was knocked down by Chen Jian yelled exaggeratedly. He lay on the ground and did not want to get up.
"James, if you continue to lie on the ground and pretend to be lazy, I'll punish you to run ten laps with the ball!" Greenwood changed his aim this time and rushed to the ear of the boy who was lying moaning on the ground and roared. The other side immediately jumped up from the ground obediently. Of course, he did not forget to punch Chen Jian in the chest, "You should vent that on the manager, hey!"
The youth team players who were watching the commotion all laughed. Greenwood also applauded Chen Jian, "Although it was a foul, defensive players have to get used to using fouls to stop the opponent. Also, this momentum is very good … Also, don't yell 'ah' next time. That's too silly. "
The laughter grew louder.
Chen Jian wrote in his diary, "… I still can't fully understand, but I think Manager Greenwood must have praised me. This is the first time he has praised me in three months … Professional football in England is really different from what I've heard in China …"
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"Chen, you have to pay attention to the position of the opposing attacking player! You're going to chase the ball. Why are you chasing the ball? Do you think your stamina is really good? This is not your football talent show. With that bit of stamina, you can't even last half a game in a professional game. Are you training here with the goal of a professional game? If not, just pretend I didn't say anything … "
"Of course, Manager Greenwood. But George Wood, he … "
"You want to say that his stamina is very good, right? Yes, his stamina is very, very, very good. But he's a monster. Are you a monster? Are you George Wood? "
Chen Jian shook his head.
"Then listen carefully! Your body may be considered strong in your country … "
"No, not strong, Manager Greenwood …"
"Don't interrupt me! Well, since it's not strong in your country, it's even less strong here. You can't always think about relying on your body to defend. I don't know which idiot told you that defense depends on the body. In fact, the body is just a kind of talent, but people can't always rely on talent to live. You need to learn to observe and analyze every move of the attacking player, then judge what they will do next and prepare yourself in advance. It's prediction. Prediction, do you understand? "
"I think … I understand, Manager Greenwood."
Greenwood pointed to his head and said, "If you think football is a sport that relies on the body, you're wrong, Chen. Football is actually a sport full of intelligence. Idiots and fools won't have any future here. Your body is not strong, but there's no rule that says only strong people are qualified to be defenders and defensive midfielders. You have to learn to use your brain and intelligence to defend, find the attacking player's next move and their weaknesses, and then make targeted countermeasures. Your speed and the agility of an Asian are your characteristics. You have to work on this … "
Chen Jian nodded vigorously and said, "I know. Manager Greenwood, thank you for your teachings. "
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"Chen! I asked you to use your brain to play football, not not to run a step! Why are you standing there foolishly defending? Even a vegetable can easily pass a block of wood like you! "
"Tackle the ball! Be decisive … You see, you put him into the penalty area. What are you going to do next? Give the opponent a penalty? Foul? What are you afraid of? Between a free kick and a penalty, which will you choose? "
"Go forward, go forward! Don't stand in place after passing the ball, run diagonally forward … If you don't run, how will your teammates pass the ball to you? His other passing routes are blocked. Only you can create a passing route for him by plugging in from the back. Don't think that passing the ball is something that only the ball holder has to consider. It requires the whole team around him to move and cooperate to create a passing route! Standing to play football is absolutely not allowed here! "
"Chen, do you know what your biggest problem is? It's not that your body is thinner than the British, nor is it that your foundation is not solid. Those can be improved through continuous training and practice. Your biggest problem is here. Brain, intelligence, awareness. It's football awareness! Playing football on the field and watching the game from the stands are two completely different things. Don't think that you have excellent football awareness because you have watched a lot of football games. If you don't come down to play, you'll never know what's going on! You have to learn to observe and analyze the situation on the field … Isn't your English improving very fast? Why can't you use this intelligence to cultivate football awareness? "
…
Chen Jian could still think of many similar words. He realized that in the past seven months, that praise was the only affirmation of his hard work from the youth team coach, Greenwood. The rest of the time, it was all about finding fault with him. When he thought he had done well in one aspect, Greenwood would definitely find more problems in other areas.
There were many times when Chen Jian wondered if he was actually not suited to play football … He was simply a mistake-making machine. Even the most basic running would be considered a problem by Greenwood as there was a problem with his running posture that affected his speed and explosive power … But he had been running like this since he was young. He had been running for 18 years, and no one had ever said to him, "Hey, buddy. There's a big problem with your running posture. "
He admitted that he had thought about a lot of messy things before he came, including what the professional training in England should be like. But he never thought it would be so harsh and unbearable. If he made the slightest mistake, a sharp whistle and Greenwood's loud voice would immediately appear in his ears.
He could not refute, could not explain. If he was wrong, he was wrong. He could only say, "Yes, Manager Greenwood. I won't make the same mistake next time! " The reason was simple. He came from China, a country where the standard of football was extremely backward. Any of his peers in the youth team were better than him and knew more than him. In the sport of "football", he had no right to speak at all as a Chinese.
During the seven months he spent in the youth team, in addition to going through unimaginably intense training, he also had to go through a mental test. Any effort he put in would be mercilessly rejected. He would never expect to receive a look of approval from the coach after stopping a long pass beautifully, nor would he receive the appreciation and applause of his teammates after successfully intercepting an opponent's dribble … Those scenes that only appeared in football YY novels had never been replicated in Chen Jian's life. Why? Because the coach and teammates would think that what he did was very ordinary. Should a football player be complacent and look forward to praise and rewards after completing his job?
Chen Jian would never tell his parents or the fans and classmates who cared about him in China about what he encountered on the training ground. He would never tell his landlord, John's family, what he encountered on the training ground. No matter what kind of treatment and difficulties he encountered, there was only one thing that never changed, and that was to always maintain a smile, even if it was a little forced. He did not want to frown in the face of difficulties and give the impression that he could not handle it.
Thanks to his constant smile, his teammates had a harmonious relationship with him and did not ostracize him. Perhaps it had something to do with his teammates knowing that the kid was just a product of a commercial talent show and would not compete with them here. He was not a competitor at all.
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Sometimes, Chen Jian would call his two teammates in Bolton Wanderers and Everton to ask about their recent situation. Whether it was Wang Yang in Bolton Wanderers or Song Hui in Everton, their situation seemed to be much better than his. The training content was the same as everyone else. He did not receive any special treatment, but he was not abused either. After completing a training session, he would be warmly praised by the coaches. Their training intensity and training environment could not be compared to Chen Jian's "hell" at all.
They were very surprised when they heard about the situation Chen Jian encountered. Wang Yang even asked him directly if he had offended the youth team's coach, or if the coach hated the Chinese very much?
Chen Jian firmly said that it was impossible.
Wang Yang curled his lips and said that the kid might have offended him in some small detail and did not realize it himself.
Chen Jian thought for a while this time and still shook his head to say that it was impossible.
Song Hui was very concerned about Chen Jian's training situation. After hearing Chen Jian's introduction, he did not say a word for a long time. When Chen Jian thought the call was cut off and was about to hang up, he said faintly, "It's a completely different world …"
Although the training was easier than Chen Jian's and the people around him were kinder, Wang Yang and Song Hui had basically given up the "dream" of staying in England after a year. After they saw the level of English football, they called the previous "dream" a "daydream." They knew their own level and knew that whether it was Bolton Wanderers or Everton, they were not interested in the two of them at all. To put it bluntly, the commercial show in front was just because they represented the China market.
After figuring this out, they could not muster up the fighting spirit. Knowing in advance that they would be eliminated and then working hard would be like a fool.
"I've learned a lot in a year. Even if I can't stay in England in the end … Ah, definitely not. I won't regret this year either. " When there were six months left before the one-year deadline, Wang Yang had already begun to determine his experience for this year. "Anyway, I'm here. I'm much luckier than those who were eliminated early and did not even have the qualifications to come here. I don't think I can ask for anything more. "
"The gap is really too big. Before I came here, I still had the illusion that maybe I was the protagonist of those football YY novels on the Internet? Now that I'm here, what am I? Compared to them, I'm … a billion light years behind. The level of China's football is indeed behind, and it is behind in all aspects. It's not just the system, the players and the coaches who are behind … "Song Hui shook his head and sighed, a little depressed. "Sigh, the only gain is that my English level has improved … Even if I study in England in the future, I don't have to go to a language school first."
The performance of these two men was completely different from the smug attitude they had before they came. The reality was cruel, and they had woken up from their dreams.
Only Chen Jian was still holding on, still dreaming. He was not arrogant and conceited, nor did he have delusions. He just felt that even if it was a game he knew he was going to lose, he had to hold on until the final whistle. Giving up early was not his style. It had not been since he was eliminated in the first audition for "The Football Guy".
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After Chen Jian once again completed the training program specially designated for him by Greenwood, he returned to the locker room. The youth team players were still changing their clothes, and everyone looked excited. This made him a little curious.
A black man on the team gesticulated and explained to him:
"Manager Greenwood said that the First Team manager, boss and boss will come to the youth team tomorrow to watch the training game!"
Chen Jian knew what it meant to these people. If they performed well, they might be transferred to the reserve team and qualify for the official game. If they performed well in the reserve team game, they could be promoted to the First Team and participate in the league tournament. After the winter transfer period, they might even get a place in the UEFA Champions League, and then shine and become famous with one goal — all young people would have such a dream, right? They would all think that they would become the most special, the most outstanding, the most different and the best.
For the young players who had trained hard for many years, this was the moment they dreamed of, a chance to decide their fate.
But what did this have to do with him? Chen Jian wished the enthusiastic black boy good luck in English, and then went to the shower room to wash off his stinky sweat.
There were still five months to go before his dream. Until now, he could not see the road ahead, and did not know if the dream was really waiting for him in front. But he had to keep running, even if he stumbled and was physically weak, he had to run.
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