Football: Starting with managing Manchester United

After the match between Aston Villa and Stoke City, Stoke City manager Mark Hughes expressed his appreciation for Zhang Yang in front of reporters and stated that Villa's performance was better than theirs.

Finally, it was also believed that Manchester United's decision not to be flamboyant was unwise, because Manchester United is currently in a period of needing change, and a more courageous young manager would have more determination and energy to complete the team's rejuvenation.

Mark Hughes is a great legend.

Zhang Yang's judgment method is very simple: those who speak well of him are good people, and those who speak ill of him are bad people.

He gave the players a day off the next day.

I received a call from my boss, Randy Lerner, in my office.

"Zhang, to be honest, I was quite worried about the team's performance when I saw the outside opinions, but I watched the game in New York last night, and the team's performance was simply amazing."

"Ngolo's performance was also outstanding. I didn't expect that his small body could run for ninety minutes. His problem with his agent will be resolved soon."

"Finally, I'll be there to cheer you on for the next match at Villa Park."

Zhang Yang could tell from Randy Lerner's tone how happy he was.

Zhang Yang had never seen this before, at least not in their previous conversations.

Actually, he was quite envious of his boss.

He inherited his family's $10 billion fortune and MBNA credit card company at a young age.

It seems like I've suddenly lost all my goals in life.

So I started getting involved in football.

When Randy Lerner first bought Aston Villa, he was very wealthy and even offered £1 million for O'Neill's transfer.

If he could get 1 million in transfer funds... Zhang Yang would never have dreamed of doing that.

of course.

The reason why the owner reduced investment was not only because the team had not performed well, but also because of the 2008 financial crisis.

But these alone are not enough to defeat Randy Lerner.

His wife's divorce was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

His wallet quickly emptied.

In contrast, this was the situation in the English Premier League around 2009.

The influx of foreign capital continues to inflate transfer market prices.

Randy Lerner, who has always lacked planned investments, finally discovered the truth he was very reluctant to admit.

That is, if you just keep burning money.

His remaining wealth was no longer enough to support him continuing to play this game.

After learning about his boss's story, Zhang Yang remarked that he wasn't afraid of rich kids slacking off, but rather of them starting their own businesses. Even Wang Duoyu hadn't squandered that much money, yet his boss had done it so easily.

It's just a pity that I only have such a low budget to use.

The root cause is...

Zhang Yang felt that the boss didn't understand football and liked to give wrong instructions.

in short.

Randy Lerner, the owner who controls the team, is a typical example of someone who doesn't know how to invest, invests recklessly, and invests like Schrödinger.

If he hadn't promised to delegate authority, Zhang Yang wouldn't have taken on this mess.

Zhang Yang had a brief chat with Randy Lerner.

They then turned their attention to studying their next opponent.

Newcastle United!

Occasionally, he would take a break and check the transfer market to see if there were any undiscovered potential stars.

In the evening, he drove his Land Rover into the city.

Villa Park Stadium.

This stadium, which is adjacent to Villa Park, was built in 1897.

It was designed and built by Archibald Leach, the architect of Old Trafford.

Zhang Yang signed his contract here.

A bronze statue stands at the entrance of the stadium, depicting a middle-aged man with a beard, wearing a trench coat, and holding a piece of paper that looks like a tactical board.

The name of the person who owned the bronze statue is written below it.

William McGregor.

He was a figure of great stature, not only establishing the English professional league system but also becoming the first chairman of the Football League, earning him the title of the father of modern football.

After greeting the staff, Zhang Yang arrived at the Villa Hall of Fame.

虽然维拉已经落寞了，但荣誉室可没热刺空，相反，7次英格兰顶级联赛冠军、7次足总杯冠军、5次联赛杯冠军、1次社区盾杯冠军、1次欧冠冠军和1次欧超杯冠军。

The trophy, gleaming silver under the lights, was displayed in a glass case.

Unfortunately, most of these awards were won in the last century.

After the turn of the millennium, Villa only won one title, the International Toto Cup, which was discontinued in 2008.

But no matter how you look at it, it's still more prestigious than Tottenham's future Audi Cup.

After turning left from the Hall of Fame and entering the stadium, you will see the Holt Stand, also known as the South Stand.

Zhang Yang's first impression of it was...it was huge.

In English football, most people know that Liverpool's Kop stand is very large. In fact, the Holt Stand has 13472 seats, making it the largest back-to-the-goal stand in England.

Zhang Yang turned his head away.

He is now facing the North Stand, which is also the oldest stand in the stadium. It has two levels and includes VIP boxes.

The two letters spelled out on the seats in the stands always made Zhang Yang laugh.

AV is an abbreviation for Aston Villa, but in Zhang Yang's eyes, it always carries a certain... connotation.

The west grandstand is called the Sanyilu Grandstand.

The upper level cantilevered directly over the road.

Cars and people pass by below, while thousands of people sit above.

After each goal in a match.

The vehicles and people below would tremble and speed up.

The remaining East Stand, known as the Ellis Stand, is the gathering area for away fans and also houses the broadcasting studio.

After confirming that there were no problems with the stadium, Zhang Yang personally inspected the turf.

After leaving this place, we arrived at the Hotel Hottel, which was not far away.

The club rented him an apartment right next to the hotel, so if he didn't feel like cooking in the morning, he could come to the hotel for breakfast.

......

The first round of the Premier League concluded on August 19.

In the BBC's "Weekend Football" program, fans rate the performance of each team.

Manchester United, who lost to Swansea, received the lowest score.

而其他的比赛，切尔西3:0伯恩利、曼城2:0纽卡斯尔联、利物浦2:1南安普顿和阿森纳2:1水晶宫。

They were all just average, nothing particularly outstanding.

"I think the most surprising team this round was Aston Villa. They played a simple yet effective tactical game with a seemingly ordinary lineup, and their two young defensive midfielders were also very impressive."

"The two have the same chemistry as Barry and Agbonlahor, but you have to remember that Barry and Agbonlahor were teammates for almost ten years."

"And Villa's overall form, including their mental attitude, has changed a lot compared to last season."

As the host and guests were talking, the topic of Zhang Yang came up.

Zhang Yang's reputation in England hasn't been great lately, first because he was ridiculed by The Sun, and then because of Grealish's drunken incident.

Just a couple of days ago, someone claiming to be Kanté's agent said that Zhang Yang was manipulating players.

The FA has established an investigation team to investigate Villa and Zhang Yang.

"Many of the things Zhang Yang said before were considered boastful, so he was given the nickname... 'Boastful Zhang'."

"I have an idea: if he actually makes all the big promises he's made come true, what nickname should people give him?"

"Perhaps we will witness something interesting happen."