Chapter 630 Meeting with teammates
The Leeds City players finished their two-hour training session 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 a new rule made by the new coach Tony Clark after he took office.
Before this, many players would drive home after training in the morning, 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 those hours between morning practices and afternoon practices.
He once publicly said that as long as his players can fully devote themselves to training, he doesn't mind if they go back to have sex with his woman at noon.
Is it true that some players will 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 called Gary, who liked to smoke, "Daddy" and made random jokes in front of him, but Gary wouldn't care - as long as he didn't lose. When he loses, he promises to scold everyone in the locker room, letting them fully understand why he is 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 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 disappeared, and the players were very uncomfortable with it. Some people secretly miss "Daddy" Gary, and some want to leave...
Under such circumstances, it's a wonder the team's results will 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 has had a lot of power reduced, the head coach still has a lot of power in the English team. 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.
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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, with this scene, I thought which England international was coming?"
"It is said that he is a genius who is spotted by both the King of Madrid and Catalonia..."
"Why did such a powerful genius come to us? Leeds City is actually more attractive than the two giants in La Liga? When did Leeds City become so powerful?"
"No way, Mr. Hodge gave too much..."
"Haha..."
Pete Williams did not participate in the teasing of the new player by his teammates. He just glanced at the figure and then lowered his head and lined up to wait for food.
An air of indifference.
Compared with his own contract renewal, a newly joined teammate cannot attract his attention.
Behind him, Farek Quinn has been staring at the Chinese player.
※※※
Hu Lai, who was chatting with Nevin Ball, noticed someone was looking at him, so he raised his head and looked over.
Upon seeing this, Nevin Ball turned his head 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, there will be nothing wrong with me.”
As he said that, he stood up and walked towards the group of players. After saying a few words to a bald man with a beard in the crowd, the bald man with a beard came over with Nevin Ball.
Hu Lai stood up quickly.
"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 welcome 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 Hu Lai." Hu Lai also introduced himself.
Beside them, Chinese reporters and CCTV camera crews captured the 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're captaining an English team, so you don't have to worry at all, even though you're on our team The first Chinese player in the history of nearly a century... We at Leeds City are an inclusive group. There are English, Scottish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, German, Cameroonian in our team... Now we have another It’s good to have one more Chinese person, world peace.”
Lorenzo and Hu Lai sat down to chat, while Naven went to help the captain get food.
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 players' 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?"
Ball raised two fingers: "Twenty million."
Taylor's mouth fell open, and the other Leeds players around him also showed surprised expressions.
Mikael 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 arrival in Leeds from China.”
Others, including Joe Taylor, were speechless.
After hearing what the director of football said, Pete Williams looked up at the figure again.
And Falek Quinn snorted.
※※※
When Lorenzo and Hulay 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 an Italian's hands, it's like gagging them.
Now he feels that this is not a joke, it is true...
To Hu Lai's surprise, the 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 until Nevin Ball returned.
"It looks like you guys were having a good chat, so I'm relieved." The director of football handed the plate to Lorenzo, "Lorenzo, you are the captain, I can leave Hu to you."
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"Don't worry, Mr. Ball. I was worried that Hu couldn't speak English, 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. question.”
"That's good. I won't disturb you anymore. You can chat slowly." After Nevin Ball finished speaking, he lightly patted Hu Lai on the shoulder, 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 great, we are a small team , Small teams also have the advantage of being a small team, that is, everyone is relatively simple. If it is a wealthy team...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 here from time to time.
The CCTV camera crew also wanted to follow the filming, but Lorenzo held out his hand to stop them. 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 Hu Lai and seemed to be satisfied with his reply.
"Then what if I just shoot here? If I don't go there, I just take a panoramic shot, and 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.
Someone would 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 Hu Lai. Maybe it is just that some people are more introverted.
For example, Pete Williams, who simply shook hands with Hulay, seems to be troubled by 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 was naturally neither salty nor bland.
This does not mean that he does not like Hu Lai, nor does it mean that he and Hu Lai have any conflicts...
※※※
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 won't officially start his training with Leeds City until tomorrow, so naturally he doesn't have to stay at the training base in the afternoon.
In 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, living in hotels all the time is not a long-term solution.
Find a house and move in as soon as possible, and 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?"
"Just like that... How can you tell if you get along well with each other, Uncle Yong?" Hu Lai shook his head while playing with his mobile 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 so much?"
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 what I do and what I say will be seen by others. Maybe someone is watching 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 his own body and reach a very far away place.
"Stop talking nonsense, Hu Lai. Quinn is really unhappy with you. That's because he thinks 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 would probably have very few of the 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 on the one hand to raise transfer funds and on the other hand to meet UEFA's financial requirements. So in this winter transfer window they have to sell their original players. Forward Lorin Perre 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 are both strikers, so I think Quinn may be the one. I think you squeezed away his good friend..."
Yong Jun is not the kind of agent who only encourages players to fight against the club, and uses the transfer as an excuse to blackmail the club into giving him a salary increase. He still put a lot of effort into understanding the team that Hu Lai is about to play for.
After all, it is a Premier League team, and some information can be collected with a snack.
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 it does not mean that there are no such things. It is just 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 is no Lao Wang.”
Hu Lai in the camera was talking softly, not sure if he was talking to Yong Jun or 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 Leeds City fans who analyzed my attitude before may not like me very much due to lack of understanding or other reasons, so what? Can they still not cheer me if I score a goal for the team? ?”
Yong Jun gave him a thumbs up: "I'm 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 good analysis of the problems he would face when joining Leeds City. The key point is that he and head coach Tony Clark are tied together, and both of them will prosper and suffer. Therefore, Leeds City fans may not like him very much, so Hu Lai must be mentally prepared. The outside world is far from being as good as the media and fans expect. There may be turbulent undercurrents hidden under the sunny and sunny surface. , the pressure he endured was much greater than when he played 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 didn't score in the end? I thought about it when I came out. If I don't do well, I really won't go back. Even if Uncle Dong said that Flashing Star will always welcome me, I won't go back." Not going back.”
After finishing speaking, he said to the camera: "This is really not an advertisement."
Seeing that Hu Lai had thought so thoroughly, Yong Jun had nothing to say.
The car suddenly became quiet, highlighting the WeChat new message notification sound on Hu Lai's phone.
He lowered his head and turned on his phone. It was everyone in the "Friends" group who was @him.
"What's going on with you, Hu Lai? I saw someone on the Internet saying that you have met with Leeds City players?"
"How's it going? Are the new teammates getting along well?"
"Did they racially discriminate 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, seeing flowers, 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?"
"How come you don't know? Isn't a pool party just about drinking and drinking? 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 have to do with me?"
"Oh, I haven't heard this sentence for a long time. I feel a little disappointed when I think that I am in the UK and can't hear Brother Huan's classic lines..."
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 must have done some research."
Junpei Morikawa 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 and 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 message 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 in the car and laughed.
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 paragraph turned into a message of concern from friends. Hu Lai replied on WeChat: "Thank you brothers for your concern. Everything is fine for me here. You should also work hard at home, let's work together Work hard!”
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. (End of chapter)