Chapter 5

Like Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire is also located in the East Midlands of England, UK. It is one of the most important counties for agricultural production in the UK, covering an area of 2,547 square kilometers with a population of about 750,000.

Derby is the largest city in Derbyshire, and Chesterfield is the largest town. The Derby County Football Club is located in the town of Derby.

This team is also a symbol of the town of Derby.

Although Derby County's historical performance does not match that of the major teams, they are the best football team in Derbyshire. Therefore, almost everywhere in Derbyshire, you can find their fans.

It takes about forty minutes to reach the town of Derby by car from Nottinghamshire.

Before going to Derbyshire, Wan Sheng called the Derby County Football Club and explained his situation. The person who answered the phone was a club staff member, who directly transferred the call to a middle-aged man.

"Do you hope to find a coaching position in Derbyshire?" The middle-aged man's voice was steady, like that of a big shot.

"Yes."

Wan Sheng straightforwardly explained his situation.

The middle-aged man on the other end of the phone listened carefully to Wan Sheng's introduction, then after a brief silence, he said, "You are a bit too young... but I think young people should get opportunities. I have work to finish today, but if you can arrive before seven, I will still be in my office."

Wan Sheng quickly replied, "I will be there soon."

An hour later, Wan Sheng arrived at the entrance of Derby County Football Club. A staff member led him into the club, and he quickly found the office based on the address.

This was the office of G. Smith, the chairman of Derby County Football Club.

Before entering, Wan Sheng had already learned from the staff member that he would be interviewed by the club chairman. He hadn't expected that the chairman himself would interview him. In previous interviews, he hadn't even met the first-team coach or the general manager, let alone the club chairman, who was the top figure in the team.

He was a bit nervous but tried to remain calm.

...

G. Smith looked at the Chinese man who walked in with great interest. From the moment the young man entered, his eyes hadn't left him, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

His eyes were full of interest.

The young man's attire was somewhat unconventional. He carried a somewhat old large backpack, his hair was a bit long, and he looked quite disheveled, very different from the well-dressed people who usually came for interviews.

It was clear that he had endured a lot of hardship.

While G. Smith was observing Wan Sheng, Wan Sheng was also observing the chairman of Derby County Football Club.

Before entering, he knew he would be interviewed by the club chairman, which made him a bit nervous. But when he actually walked in and faced G. Smith, he felt nothing special.

A chairman is just a chairman, what's the difference?

For him, the result would only be success or failure.

Being interviewed by the club chairman might even be better. The chairman has more power, and those who can become club chairmen are usually wealthy, so they probably wouldn't look down on him like others.

G. Smith didn't know what Wan Sheng was thinking; he just felt that the Chinese man in front of him was very calm.

This was rare.

G. Smith rarely handled matters at the club himself, but today he decided to personally interview a few candidates. A small coach position didn't really require his personal involvement; the youth team manager would be qualified enough. But G. Smith had a sudden interest and decided to conduct the interviews himself.

The Chinese man in front of him was the third person he interviewed today.

The first two were middle-aged men in their forties, with resumes that mostly included working at football schools or as coaches at various clubs. They had a lot of experience, but they were still somewhat nervous when facing him.

But this Chinese man didn't show any nervousness.

He actually dared to make eye contact with him?

Interesting.

After observing for a while, G. Smith finally spoke, "You look very young, not even thirty, right?"

Wan Sheng sighed inwardly when he heard this. People who said this often directly rejected him because of his youth.

He couldn't help but say somewhat stiffly, "Work ability has nothing to do with age."

G. Smith paused, not expecting the young man to be so blunt, but he still nodded, "You're right! But that's only a small part of people. Are you sure you belong to that small part?"

G. Smith stared intently into Wan Sheng's eyes as he spoke.

Wan Sheng didn't hesitate and said, "I have always believed so." This was confidence and a solid foundation. His brother's resume was so good, and he had over ten years of additional memory. If he still didn't belong to the few capable people, who could claim to be capable?

"You are very confident, young man."

Wan Sheng shrugged, "I have always been very confident. I believe I will become an excellent coach in the future. Even now, I have the ability to take on the position of U-16 Youth B Team coach at your club, isn't that right?"

"Before, I coached the Manchester United youth team, and my performance was quite good, which might say something about my abilities."

Wan Sheng placed his backpack on the ground, unzipped it, and took out his resume, handing it to G. Smith, "Would you like to see my resume?"

G. Smith laughed and shook his head, pushing the resume away, "I don't need to see this. It's meaningless, but I believe what you say."

"Thank you!"

Wan Sheng was genuinely moved. In his previous interview at Crystal Palace, the interviewer even thought he was a fraud. But the chairman of Derby County Football Club believed him without even looking at his resume.

The difference between people is really great...

"Young man, one last question."

G. Smith stood up, walked over, and stared into Wan Sheng's eyes, asking, "What makes you think you can become an excellent coach?"

"By my ability, by my vision, and by my belief that if you choose me, you will know in the future that it was a very, very correct decision!" Wan Sheng looked back at G. Smith and said.

G. Smith still had a smile on his face. He turned back to his seat, pondering Wan Sheng's words.

To say such things, this young man's confidence was definitely not fake.

But could overconfidence turn into arrogance?

G. Smith was filled with uncertainty, but he had a good impression of Wan Sheng. Confident young people are always full of energy. He had already nodded in his heart. After all, a coaching position wouldn't affect him much, and the meager salary was not something he cared about. Moreover, if this young man turned out to be incapable, he could still fire him.

It was just an opportunity.

He was hesitating about which position to offer.

Finally, G. Smith lifted his head and said, "I originally planned to hire a U-16 Youth B Team coach, but the first team might also need an assistant coach. Of course, you can also choose to coach the youth team."

G. Smith looked at Wan Sheng as he finished speaking.

Wan Sheng was taken aback.

First-team assistant coach? That would be a much higher and more prestigious position than a U-16 Youth B Team coach. It would be a position linked to the first team.

This was a bit too surprising.

He didn't hesitate and said, "I choose to be the assistant coach of the first team!"

"Good!" G. Smith smiled, "Young man, you made the right choice. The youth team is a good place to retire, but it's not suitable for someone like you. Being an assistant coach of the first team will be more challenging, and I can only offer you a temporary contract. I think Gregory will evaluate your abilities. Are you ready to take on this job?"

"Thank you, sir! I believe I can do it!"

Wan Sheng nodded vigorously.