Leeds City players finished their two-hour training in the morning, showered and changed in the locker room, and then went to the restaurant to have a meal together. After lunch, they would go to the lounge area prepared for them by the club to take a nap.
This is the new rule made by the new coach Tony Clark after he took office.
Previously, many players would drive home after training in the morning, then go out to eat and shop with their wives, children, and girlfriends, and then drive back to the training base in the afternoon to continue training in the afternoon.
Lauren Galli doesn't care what they do in the hours between morning and afternoon training.
He once said publicly that as long as his players can devote themselves fully to training, he doesn't mind if they go back to have sex with their women at noon.
Is it true that some players would use their little break at noon to have sex with their women?
No one knows, but at least when Lauren Galli was coaching, the atmosphere in the Leeds City team was indeed relatively relaxed, even a little...disorganized.
Of course, many Leeds City fans and players like this relaxed atmosphere, which makes them feel at home.
They call Gary, who likes to smoke, "Dad" and make random jokes in front of him, but Gary won't care - as long as he doesn't lose. If he loses, he guarantees that he will taunt everyone in the locker room.
He scolded him so much that they fully understood why he was the "dad" of all the players.
When Tony Clark replaced Gary, he promulgated a series of new disciplinary rules within the team. He was in charge of everything from diet to work and rest, including not being allowed to leave the training base during the lunch break during two training sessions a day. All players were required to do so.
Napping is a must - for this purpose the club has specially opened up a space in the building and installed two rows of high and low beds to ensure that each first team player has his own bed.
The original relaxed atmosphere inside has disappeared, and the players are very uncomfortable with it. Some people secretly miss "Dad" Gary, and some want to leave...
Under such circumstances, it’s a wonder if the team’s results can be good.
However, the club's top management seemed to be determined to stand by Tony Clark this time. After they dealt with two players who publicly had disagreements with Tony Clark at a low price during the winter break, everyone knew about this.
One point - unless you have already found a new home, you can only accept the new coach's new rules in the team.
Although the current head coach's power has been reduced a lot, in the English team, the head coach still has a lot of power. If you go against the head coach, except for the top stars, no one else will get any good results.
Just like life, if you can't resist, just "enjoy" it...
At least many players are now accustomed to taking a nap after morning training.
After all, after a good night's sleep, many of them will indeed feel that they are more energetic when training again in the afternoon, and their training results will be better than before.
※※※
Pete Williams followed his teammates into the restaurant and saw many media reporters in a corner of the restaurant. They were filming, and the lenses of their machines were all focused on a person sitting by the window.
Then he heard his teammates whispering.
“Look, that person is our coach’s pet peeve...”
“That Chinese player?”
“Who else could it be?”
“WOW, this scene, I thought it was some England international football player coming?”
“It is said that he is a genius who is spotted by both the King of Madrid and the Catalan United..."
“Why did such a powerful talent come to us? Leeds City is actually more attractive than the two giants in La Liga? When did Leeds City become so powerful?”
“There is no way, Mr. Hodge gave too much...”
"Ha ha……"
Pete Williams did not participate in his teammates' teasing about the new player. He just glanced at the figure and then lowered his head and waited in line to pick up the food.
Looking indifferent.
Compared with his own contract extension, a newly joined teammate cannot attract his attention.
Behind him, Falek Quinn has been staring at the Chinese player.
※※※
Hu Lai, who was chatting with Nevin Ball, noticed someone looking at him, so he raised his head and looked over.
When Nevin Ball saw this, he turned around and saw the first-team players walking in: "Ah, the team training is over. Just in time, I called Lorenzo to come and get to know you. He is the captain of the team.
.After I hand you over to him, I won’t have anything to worry about."
With that said, he stood up and walked towards the group of players, and after saying a few words to a bald man with a beard in the crowd, the bald man with a beard walked over with Nevin Ball.
Hu Lai quickly stood up.
"Hello, young man." The bald man with beard spoke English with a slight accent, "I am Lorenzo Esposito, the captain of this team. Although this occasion is somewhat informal, I
Still want to welcome you to Leeds City."
He grabbed Hu Lai's outstretched hand and shook it.
“Hello, captain, my name is Hu Lai. My surname is Hu and my given name is Lai. You can call me Hu or you can call me Hu Lai.” Hu Lai also introduced himself.
Beside them, Chinese reporters and CCTV camera crews recorded the whole scene.
"You speak English very fluently..." Lorenzo showed a surprised expression after hearing Hulay's self-introduction, "I have been here for four years before I can speak like this. By the way, I am an Italian. An Italian.
You are the captain of an English team, so you don’t have to worry at all, even though you are the first Chinese player in the history of our team in the past century... We at Leeds City are an inclusive group, and there are English people in our team.
, Scots, Dutch, Spanish, Italians, Germans, Cameroonians... Now we have another Chinese. This is good, world peace."
Lorenzo and Hulay sat down to chat, while Nevin went to help the captain get his meal.
At the dining table, he was asked by the players: "Mr. Ball, is that our new teammate?"
"Of course. He just arrived in Leeds yesterday." Ball answered the team members' questions while waiting to pick up the meal.
"This is the first time I've seen a new player bring a camera crew with him..." One player said a little sourly.
Nevin Ball glanced at him: "Xiao Qiao, do you know how many fans Hu has in China?"
The player who spoke, Joe Taylor, asked: "How much?"
Bauer raised two fingers: "Twenty million."
Taylor opened his mouth wide, and the other Leeds City players around him also showed surprised expressions.
Mikay van de Ven exclaimed in a low voice: "My God... what is the concept of twenty million?"
Bauer said: "Fortunately, it is only two million more than the total population of your country, the Netherlands."
Fan Dewen fell silent.
Ball shrugged: "Although he is a newcomer here, in his own country, he is a well-known superstar. Why are there photographers around him? Because the Chinese fans can't wait to know what he is here with us.
Everything. Their national TV station also filmed a documentary specifically for him, just to record his coming to our Leeds city from China."
Everyone else, including Joe Taylor, had nothing to say.
After hearing what the director of football said, Pete Williams looked up at the figure again.
And Falek Quinn snorted softly.
※※※
When Lorenzo and Hu Lai were talking, the latter's attention was almost entirely on Lorenzo's hands. They kept waving in front of his eyes, changing various gestures, just like in "Naruto"
It's hard not to notice the seals.
He remembered a joke: When you tie the hands of Italians, it is equivalent to gagging their mouths.
Now he feels that this is not a joke, but the truth...
To Hu Lai's expectation, this tall and fierce-looking captain was actually very talkative. He didn't know whether he spoke so hard to prevent Hu Lai, a newcomer, from feeling nervous and embarrassed, or because he just liked talking so much.
In short, thanks to the Italian's constant chatter, there was no silence between the two of them until Nevin Ball came back.
“It looks like you guys were having a good chat, so I’m relieved.” The football director handed the plate to Lorenzo, “Lorenzo, you are the captain, I’ll leave it to you.”
"Don't worry, Mr. Ball. I was worried that Hu couldn't speak English before, so it would be troublesome for him to communicate with the team, but now the biggest obstacle no longer exists. If he can communicate smoothly, it won't be a big deal to integrate into the team.
The problem."
"That's good. I won't disturb you anymore. You can chat slowly." After Nevin Ball finished speaking, he patted Hu Lai's shoulder lightly, stood up and left.
Lorenzo Esposito watched the football director leave, then turned back to Hulay and said: "Come on, I will introduce you to the players now. Don't worry, the boys are all great, we are a small team
, small teams also have the advantage of small teams, that is, everyone is relatively simple. If it is a wealthy club... some local gang, or someone sent from outside, you have to choose a side first when you join the team, otherwise you will not be able to play well...
"
“It’s up to you, captain.” Hu Lai followed Lorenzo and stood up.
He had long noticed that some of the players would always look this way from time to time.
The CCTV camera crew also wanted to follow the shooting, but Lorenzo reached out to stop him. He shook his head and said: "Sorry, the players don't want to have cameras around, it will make them feel awkward."
The photographer looked at Hu Lai for help, and Hu Lai shook his head: "If the captain says it can't be done, it can't be done."
Lorenzo glanced at Hulay and seemed to be satisfied with his reply.
“Then what if I shoot here? If I go over there and take a panoramic view, I won’t be able to record what you are talking about...” The photographer worked hard for his job.
Hulay translated what he said to Lorenzo, who thought about it after hearing it, then shrugged: "No problem."
So the photographer could only sit where he was and take pictures from a distance.
In the camera, Hulay followed Lorenzo to the table where Leeds City players were. Under Lorenzo's introduction, he shook hands and high-fived his new teammates one by one.
Some people would even pat him on the shoulder and say hello.
Some people just shake hands.
Of course this does not represent the Leeds City players’ preference for Hulay, maybe it’s just that some of them are more introverted.
For example, Pete Williams, who only shook hands with Hu Lai briefly, seems to be troubled by the contract renewal negotiations with the club recently. He is in a sluggish state and his mood is not very high. When facing Hu Lai, his attitude is naturally not salty.
Not bland.
This does not mean that he does not like Hu Lai, nor does it mean that he has any conflicts with Hu Lai...
※※※
After meeting and greeting all the first-team teammates who did not come to training except for injuries, Hu Lai did not stay in the restaurant. He said goodbye to everyone and left the training base.
He will not officially start training with Leeds City until tomorrow, so naturally he will not have to stay at the training base in the afternoon.
Using the afternoon, he and Uncle Yong would go to see the house.
Although I don’t know what my future in Leeds will be like yet, living in a hotel all the time is not a long-term solution.
Find a house as soon as possible and move in, then your life will be on track.
Sitting in the car, Yong Jun asked Hu Lai: "How do you feel about your new teammates? Do you think they are easy to get along with?"
"That's it... How can you tell if you get along well with him or not, Uncle Yong?" Hu Lai shook his head while playing with his cell phone, "But the captain doesn't seem to be a difficult person to get along with."
“Falek Quinn, do you have any impression?” Yong Jun asked again.
At the mention of this name, Hu Lai put down his phone and nodded: "Yes, that person kept staring at me, as if he wanted to eat me."
“Do you know why he looks at you like that?”
Hu Lai replied casually: "I stole his girlfriend?"
Yong Jun coughed and reminded Hu Lai that there was a camera next to him.
The photographer, who rarely talks at work, quickly explained: "It's okay, it's okay. We will cut it out later..."
Hu Lai suddenly said: "Ah, I almost forgot that there is a camera following me. I have to get used to whatever I do and say will be seen by others. Maybe someone will be looking at us at this time." At this point, Hu Lai
Len turned to look at the camera lens.
This made the photographer couldn't help but shrink back. It seemed that Hu Lai's eyes could penetrate the machine and himself and reach a very far away place.
"Stop talking nonsense, Hu Lai Quinn is really unhappy with you. That's because he feels that you drove away his good friend." Yong Jun explained.
Hu Lai spread his hands: "Shut me up..."
He wanted to say, "It's none of my business," but luckily he remembered there was a camera in time. If he had completely let himself go and showed his "true self," he probably wouldn't have much footage that could be used in the end.
So he quickly changed his words: "What does it have to do with me?"
"After Flash Star Club increased your transfer fee, Leeds City had to sell players in order to raise transfer funds and meet UEFA's financial requirements. So in this winter transfer window, they have to sell their original players.
The team's forward Lorraine Peretz was sold for 7 million pounds. Peretz is very popular in Leeds City, and Quinn has the best relationship with him. And you and Peretz happen to be both strikers.
, so I think Quinn may decide that you squeezed away his good friends..."
Yong Jun is not the kind of agent who only encourages players to confront the club and uses the transfer as an excuse to blackmail the club into giving him a salary increase. He still made a lot of effort to understand the team that Hu Lai will play for.
This is a Premier League team after all, so some information can be collected with just a few clicks.
After listening to Yong Jun’s narration and speculation, Hu Lai sighed: “‘Office politics’ is everywhere. I just want to play football..."
“Wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes. There is no word “jianghu” in foreign countries, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those things, it’s just that they’re not called by this name.”
"That's true... I think when I first went to Flash Star, it was thanks to Lao Wang that he met me and helped me a lot, introducing me to his teammates who had a good relationship with him, so that I could smoothly integrate into the game.
Team. But this time in Leeds City, there will be no Lao Wang."
Hu Lai in the camera is speaking softly, not sure whether he is speaking to Yong Jun or talking to himself.
Yong Jun, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked back at Hu Lai: "What, are you scared?"
"That's not true." Hu Lai chuckled, "Uncle Yong, football is very simple. If you perform well, people will like you and support you. If you don't perform well, what's the use of being popular? For example, you
The attitude of the Leeds City fans who analyzed me before may not be very fond of me due to lack of understanding or other reasons. So what? Can they not cheer me if I score a goal for the team?
?”
Yong Jun gave him a thumbs up: "I feel relieved if you think so, Hu Lai."
On the plane to the UK, Yong Jun used the time on the journey to give Hu Lai a thorough analysis of the problems he would face when joining Leeds City. The key point was that he and head coach Tony Clark were tied together, and both of them would prosper at the same time.
If one loses, both will suffer. Therefore, Leeds City fans may not be very fond of him, so Hu Lai must be mentally prepared. The outside world is far from as good as the media and fans expect. The wind and sunshine on the surface may be beautiful underneath.
Hidden under the turbulent undercurrent, the pressure he endured was much greater than when he played football in Flash Star... It can even be said that he was actually well protected in Flash Star, and he had not seen much of the cruel side of this society.
"Hey, Uncle Yong, you are looking down on me. I have been in more difficult situations than I am now..." Hu Lai curled his lips. "No one in the team passed the ball to me in the last game, but I still scored a goal in the end."
?I made a decision when I came out. If I don’t do well, I really won’t go back. Even if Uncle Dong says that Flashing Star will always welcome me, I won’t go back.”
After speaking, he turned to the camera and said: "This is really not an advertisement."
Yong Jun saw that Hu Lai had thought so thoroughly and had nothing to say.
The car suddenly became quiet, highlighting Hu Lai’s cell phone’s WeChat new message notification tone.
He lowered his head and turned on his mobile phone. It was everyone in the "Friends" group who was talking to him.
"Hu Lai, what's going on over there? I saw someone online said that you have met with Leeds City players?"
“How is it? Are the new teammates friendly?”
“Have they racially discriminated against you?”
A smile appeared on Hu Lai's face, and he lowered his head and typed on his mobile phone: "I love seeing people and driving around, so of course I am very popular! Let me tell you, they are all impressed by my charisma.
!If I hadn’t kept myself clean, they would have even taken me to drink flower wine..."
Chen Xingyi: “Damn it, Hu Lai, just blow it! Do foreigners know what ‘flower wine’ is?”
“Why don’t you know? Isn’t a pool party just about flowers and wine? I just translated it into a language you can understand. Little Xingxing, how did you learn from Brother Huan all day long, and you don’t even know this?”
Zhang Qinghuan: "Hu Lai, what the hell... do you want from me?"
“Oh, I haven’t heard this sentence for a long time. I feel a little disappointed when I think that I can’t hear Brother Huan’s classic lines in the UK...”
Chen Xingyi: “Wow, I didn’t expect Hu Lai to be M!”
Wang Guangwei: “What does M mean?”
Chen Xingyi: “Old Wang, don’t pretend!”
“Old Wang, you can ask Morikawa, he will definitely do some research.”
Morikawa Junpei sent an emoticon: I didn’t, I’m not, don’t talk nonsense.
Zhang Qinghuan: "Hu Lai, if you want to be scolded next time, just say it, don't beat around the bush! If you are willing, I can record ten minutes of swearing that is characteristic of our capital, and use it as a mobile phone ringtone or alarm clock ringtone for you. Then I will listen to you every day.
The nostalgic Brother Huan swears to get up, ensuring that you will be full of energy the whole day..."
After speaking, he actually recorded a voice and sent it.
As soon as Hu Lai opened it, he heard Brother Huan's familiar voice: "Hu Lai, what the hell..."
He slapped his thigh and laughed in the car.
Yong Jun, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, couldn't help but shake his head and laugh when he heard Qing Huan's familiar voice.
Then he turned to look out the car window. The sky outside was still gloomy, but it was just an ordinary cloudy day without any metaphor.
Oh, by the way.
Later, in the documentary that was aired, this segment turned into a message of concern from friends. Hu Lai replied on WeChat: "Thank you brothers for your concern. Everything is fine with me here. You should also work hard at home. Let's work together."
effort!"
In the picture, Hu Lai put down his mobile phone and turned to look out the car window with a confident smile on his face.