Chapter 8

Wansheng, with a spirited demeanor, was engrossed in studying the football training master. After being excited for half the night, he finally fell exhausted onto the bed and quickly fell asleep.

He had a dream.

In the dream, there was a large football stadium, and in the center of the field, a podium was set up.

Wansheng led his players up to the podium one by one. He walked at the front, stepping up the stairs, and stood on the high platform. Looking around at the countless fans, a sense of pride welled up within him.

The fans were shouting his name, and everyone was watching him.

Everyone was clapping for him.

Wansheng waved to the crowd, which only made the cheers more enthusiastic. He smiled and turned around, receiving the trophy from a football legend under the expectant gazes of all.

The trophy was so beautiful!

Gradually, the trophy turned into a beautiful woman, with a perfect face, a fiery figure, and a captivating smile. He was completely drawn to her, staring at her face, and then... he woke up.

Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling and came to his senses.

He knew it was a dream, a beautiful one, but unfortunately, he couldn't remember what the beautiful woman looked like.

Wansheng shook his head with a bitter smile and checked the time; it was already 8:00 AM. He quickly got up, dressed, and washed up, then prepared to go out.

Walking on the streets of Derby, Wansheng had to adjust his mindset.

Despite having the football training master system and the dream of winning a trophy last night, the reality he had to face was that he was currently just a temporary assistant coach at Derby County. It was unknown how long it would take to truly lead a team to championship glory.

Wansheng was going to meet Gregory in the morning and wait for him to assign tasks. As an assistant coach, he didn't know what Gregory would assign him to do, but he hoped it would be something he enjoyed, not just miscellaneous tasks on the field.

He was a bit worried.

An assistant coach's job is to support the head coach, mainly by guiding player training, planning training tasks, and strategizing for matches. In short, he might be involved in all aspects of the head coach's responsibilities.

Wansheng had some confidence.

His goal was to gain the trust of a few players, which would allow him to activate the task system. Then, he could follow the task prompts for training and other activities, ensuring everything went smoothly.

His path to advancement would begin from there.

...

The head coach of Derby County was Gregory.

Gregory was not well-known in English football, but his resume was impressive. He had previously coached Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Wycombe Wanderers. Last year, he coached Aston Villa in the Premier League, but in February of this year, he was dismissed due to poor performance. He was then invited to coach Derby County.

So far, Gregory had been coaching Derby County for seven months.

During the summer transfer window, there were not many changes at Derby County, but Gregory had more control over the team. Most players trusted him, and the club chairman, G. Smith, hoped that Gregory could improve the team's performance.

No one expected Gregory to bring Derby County to the Premier League in one season, but improving the team's performance and ranking would be good.

On the surface, Gregory's work at Derby County was going well, but in reality, he had some complaints about the club chairman, G. Smith. He was very concerned about his control over the team and wanted to have full authority, not just the responsibility of leading the team. A head coach of an English club should have the power to manage transfers and sign contracts, which would mean full control over the team.

During the summer, the team's transfer activities seemed to have nothing to do with him. Gregory did not receive any transfer funds, and G. Smith did not even discuss this with him. Although there were not many changes in the team's personnel, Gregory was still dissatisfied—needing players he couldn't get and having players he didn't need still on the team.

After 13 rounds of the League One, Derby County was only ranked 16th.

This performance was as poor as last season, but Gregory attributed it to the lack of transfers—without personnel adjustments, the same group of players naturally couldn't improve their performance.

However, as the head coach, Gregory faced significant pressure due to the team's poor performance.

The head coach's job was very demanding, and Derby County only had one assistant coach. Therefore, Gregory hoped to find another assistant coach to help him with the workload. He mentioned this to G. Smith, but in reality, he wanted to choose his own assistant coach, not have one assigned by G. Smith.

"25 years old? Are you kidding me?"

When he heard this news last night, Gregory was quite surprised and a bit angry. Even though G. Smith assured him, "If you're not satisfied, you can dismiss him at any time," Gregory felt it was a hollow promise—could he dismiss an assistant coach appointed by the club chairman without reason?

Definitely not!

So, when Gregory met Wansheng, his expression was not surprising.

"You are even younger than I imagined," Gregory said, looking at Wansheng.

Wansheng shrugged, a comment he had heard many times, "Mr. Gregory, age does not represent ability. I believe I can do this job well."

"You are very confident, aren't you?"

Gregory gave a sarcastic laugh, then shook his head and turned to leave, leaving behind only, "You can get familiar with the training ground in the morning. I will assign you specific tasks in the afternoon."

"Alright."

Wansheng felt a bit helpless. It was clear that Gregory did not like him, perhaps because of his age. He didn't understand why, but there was nothing he could do about it. He wouldn't try to flatter Gregory; that wasn't something he would do, and it was uncertain whether Gregory would appreciate it.

He didn't need to put on a show for someone who didn't care.

Since Gregory would assign him specific tasks, he would just wait. If he could do his job well, Gregory might change his opinion of him.

In the morning, Wansheng wandered around the first-team training ground.

Many first-team players saw him and initially thought he was a trial player or a fan who had connections. After inquiring, they learned that Wansheng was the new assistant coach!

So young!?

How could that be!

They were initially interested, but when they saw Gregory's unhappy expression and the higher intensity of the training, they lost interest.

Wansheng watched from the sidelines.

He wanted to help with the training, but Gregory and the other assistant coach, Diamares, deliberately ignored him, leaving him no room to intervene.

He could only wait until the afternoon.

During lunch, Wansheng ate in the club's restaurant. A black player sitting next to him greeted him, "You are the new assistant coach?"

Wansheng nodded and extended his hand, "I'm Wansheng, and this is my first day."

"Lee Morris, just call me Lee." Morris shook Wansheng's hand and asked curiously, "How old are you? You're not even thirty, right?"

"Twenty-five."

Wansheng was a bit frustrated. He was only 25, so why did so many people ask if he was 30?

Did he look that old?

"How did you become a coach? You're a year younger than me," Morris's eyes were full of curiosity.

Wansheng smiled and shook his head.

After chatting with Morris for a bit, they got to know each other. However, no one else approached him, even though he was around the same age as the players. As a new coach, few people took the initiative to talk to him.

After lunch, Wansheng wandered around the club and returned to the first-team training ground.

The afternoon training started at 1:00 PM. Soon, the players returned to the training ground, but they were only doing regular training under Diamares's guidance. Gregory was nowhere to be seen.

Wansheng waited, bored.

It wasn't until half an hour before the end of training that Gregory walked onto the field, accompanied by a short black man limping.

He seemed to be injured.

Some of the players on the field waved to him, "Hey, Taylor, you're here."

"Aren't you supposed to be recovering?"

"Why are you here today?"

Taylor smiled at them but didn't answer, just following Gregory toward Wansheng. They stopped in front of Wansheng, and Gregory introduced him, "This is Ian Taylor," then introduced Wansheng to Taylor.

Wansheng looked at the black man in surprise.

Ian Taylor?

He didn't recognize him, but he knew the name. A legend of Aston Villa, he had even visited China ten years later and participated in many activities, which were widely covered by football media.

They shook hands.

Gregory smiled at Wansheng and introduced him to Taylor, "Wansheng is only 25, but he is my assistant, and Mr. Smith has high hopes for him."

Wansheng was surprised and uncertain.

Was this guy praising him? Didn't he dislike him?

Then he heard Gregory say, "Wansheng is young, but his work ability is outstanding. Your problem is simple for him; he will help you."

With that, Gregory walked away.

Wansheng realized that helping Taylor was the task Gregory had assigned him, but what exactly was Taylor's problem? What did he need help with?

"Can you really help me?" Ian Taylor asked, skeptical. Wansheng was too young, and his problem wasn't something just anyone could help with.

"Tell me what it is first."

Wansheng shrugged; he still didn't know what Taylor needed help with.

Ian Taylor explained, "My right leg is injured. The doctor said I need to rest for at least three months to recover and play again. I had surgery yesterday. I didn't want to come, but Mr. Gregory said you are capable."

"Ah?"

Wansheng still didn't understand... He wasn't a doctor; what could he do about Ian Taylor's leg injury?

"I hope you can help me with some training to recover faster. I don't want to rest for two months; that would likely make me miss the League Cup match against Aston Villa." Ian Taylor shrugged, indicating that he hoped Wansheng understood.

Wansheng rolled his eyes.

Not wanting to miss a match against his former club, so he wanted to recover quickly. That was understandable, but he should be talking to a doctor, not an assistant coach.

"The doctor said that training might help speed up recovery, but it requires a very professional coach. Mr. Gregory said you could do it."

Wansheng was speechless.

He finally understood why Gregory had praised him. It was a trap—using training to help an injured player recover faster? He had never heard of such a thing.

This was an impossible task!