The Greatest Manager of All time

Britain had plenty of betting companies, and on April 23, those bookmakers had to make a massive payout!

Their upper management was practically furious enough to explode.

Swansea fans lined up to collect their winnings, while the bookmakers exchanged the slips for cash with bleeding hearts.

Of course, this was nowhere near enough to bring the betting companies down. That would be pure fantasy. After all, over the course of nine months, they had still been making money continuously.

Especially since Swansea had not been among the favorites for promotion before the season began, all the money placed on other teams to win the title had been swallowed whole by the bookmakers.

But none of that could compare to the sudden flood of bets they had accepted before the season on Swansea winning promotion and taking the title.

Bookmakers had their own internal battles too. For example, when one company accepted a huge amount of bets and became worried about payout risk, it would spread those bets to other betting companies in order to hedge the danger.

But the volume of money pouring in on Swansea's promotion and title win before the season was simply too large. Even other bookmakers, including European betting companies, had already noticed the unusual flow of bets and adjusted the odds to avoid risk. As a result, Swansea's title odds and promotion odds plunged within a very short time. Even internal hedging between bookmakers could no longer reduce the danger, because if one company had accepted bets at 80-to-1, another company might have already dropped the odds to 10-to-1 the next day. Even if they shifted the funds, they still could not avoid the potential payout risk of seventy times the stake!

Some people inside the betting industry assessed the losses caused by Swansea's promotion and title win in the Third Division.

According to them, most companies had essentially paid out all the profit they had made that year from English competitions outside the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup to the punters who had backed Swansea to win promotion and the title!

It could not be called a catastrophic loss.

But once the bookmakers' operating costs, marketing costs, and other expenses were included, some people within the industry summed it up simply:

They had worked for nothing that year!

The fans holding their Swansea title winnings did not care about any of that.

The next morning, while Lynn was working in his office at the club, Tony Benn called and said that representatives of the supporters wanted to see him.

Lynn put down the phone, feeling surprised. The club was enjoying smooth sailing, so why would the supporters' representatives want to meet him?

Although he would usually chat with them if they ran into each other outside, almost like friends, a formal meeting at the club like this definitely meant they had proper business to discuss!

Lynn arranged the meeting in the conference room, avoiding his office so there would not be a clear power imbalance between host and guest. After all, he felt it was better to maintain an equal relationship with the supporters.

When he walked into that familiar conference room, Lynn sat in the main seat and suddenly remembered the scene from almost a year ago, when he had negotiated with five fan representatives in this very room.

He raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "Let's hope today isn't an ambush in disguise."

Tony Benn brought two representatives from the supporters' organizations into the conference room.

The moment Lynn turned his head, he saw the big-bellied Richard Cork walking in with a hearty laugh, arms open wide, clearly intending to hug him.

Lynn naturally stood up and embraced Richard Cork.

"Hahaha, Lynn, if you were a beautiful woman, I'd definitely kiss you. You're bloody incredible."

Lynn felt a little baffled, but at least he realized today's conversation probably would not be unpleasant.

He smiled and replied, "What? Is this your first day knowing me? Hey, Fred."

After letting go of Cork, Lynn greeted the refined and scholarly Fred Davis, who had followed him in.

"Hey, Lynn. I didn't expect you to be working today. Since the team has the day off, we thought we'd only be calling to arrange a meeting time. Who would've thought you'd actually be at the club? Heh."

Lynn gestured for them to sit down and talk. He smiled. "I had nothing else to do anyway, so I came to the club to look at scouting reports and study our next opponent. Our next opponent isn't weak. We lost to them once before."

"Leyton Orient!"

Cork and Davis said it at the same time.

After that, they fell silent again. The way they looked at Lynn was filled with respect, admiration for his professionalism.

After a brief silence, Lynn said, "You came to me on your own today. What did you want to talk about?"

It could not just be casual chatting. Even if they had the interest, Lynn did not have the time. He would rather spend that time working.

Davis adjusted his glasses and said, "It's like this. The supporters are extremely happy that the club won the title. Next season, the team will be playing in the Second Division, and the fans want to celebrate with the team. So we have a proposal. We're not sure whether the club would accept it."

Lynn nodded for Davis to continue.

"After the season ends, the supporters' organizations want to hold a title celebration party at the Liberty Stadium. We'll pay for the organization ourselves. The club only needs to provide the venue. We'd hold an open-air party inside the stadium. We want to use food and drinks to reward all club staff, including the players, for their hard work this season."

After hearing this, Lynn's expression became odd.

He had never heard of such a thing.

But then he thought of the news he had seen that morning after waking up.

Besides Swansea defeating Brighton and receiving high praise from the media, and Swansea ending all suspense over the Third Division title, another piece of news had been frantically reported by the media:

Swansea fans had gone to collect their money!

A playful smile appeared on Lynn's face. "Do you have so much money now that you don't know where to spend it?"

Cork burst into laughter, while Davis' old face flushed red. He said, "Don't put it like that. We did make some money because Swansea won the title and promotion, but our sincerity is what matters most. Taking advantage of this moment, many fans are feeling generous. Everyone wants to interact with the club and celebrate the title together, to make the joy even greater."

Lynn leaned forward and asked with a smile, "First tell me, as a Swansea University lecturer, how much did you make?"

Fred Davis' face turned redder. "Not much. Seventy thousand pounds."

As an intellectual, Davis had participated in betting for the first time. It had only been to join in the fun and support Swansea. He had staked one thousand pounds. At the time, Swansea's title odds had been 85-to-1. After taxes and various deductions, he had actually made more than seventy thousand pounds, but he had deliberately rounded off the extra amount.

Lynn exaggeratedly widened his eyes and said "Wow," then turned to the glowing Richard Cork.

As the owner of a restaurant, Richard Cork was middle class. Lynn asked, "What about you?"

Cork turned his head and glanced at Davis, then smiled. "Add one zero to his number."

This time, Lynn was genuinely surprised.

Seven hundred thousand pounds!

Thinking about it, though, someone like Cork, a diehard supporter, really would dare to stake ten thousand pounds.

Lynn shook his head and sighed repeatedly. "Ah, what a shame I was banned by the bookmakers from betting. Otherwise, I would've made a fortune too."

Cork laughed loudly. "It's fine. We made money, and the first thing we thought of was giving something back to the club. Isn't that why we came to discuss the celebration party with you?"

Lynn organized his thoughts, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Tell me your plan first."

Cork said, "The main cost of the event will be covered by me and four others who made big money. Each of us will contribute fifty thousand pounds, which comes to two hundred and fifty thousand pounds in total. Then we'll use a registration-and-entry fee system. The minimum registration fee will be one hundred pounds. Anyone who wants to give more can do so. After the final match of the season ends, we'll arrange people to set up the stadium, provide drinks, food, and invite fan bands to perform. In short, as long as the club agrees, I'll quickly draw up a detailed plan and submit it to the club. The club won't have to spend a single penny!"

Lynn smiled. "Yes, you'll cover the drinks, food, and labor costs. All we have to do is enjoy the party. But what about stadium maintenance? Have you considered what the pitch will look like after a party is held inside a stadium?"

Cork and Davis exchanged glances. Indeed, there were things they had not thought through carefully.

Davis then said, "As long as costs arise, we'll bear them. This is the supporters' sincerity. We're not trying to use the club's name as an excuse to eat, drink, and have fun. This is a festival we want to build together with the club. How about this, Lynn? List out all expenses the club will incur by cooperating with us, and we'll reimburse you."

Lynn threw his head back and laughed, pointing at Davis. "See that? When intellectuals have money, they spend like tycoons too! Since you're this sincere, how could I be stingy? I agree to the plan. As for the costs incurred by the club's cooperation, I'll personally cover them."

Richard Cork slapped the table and said excitedly, "I knew Lynn wasn't a miser. He's the most generous person we know! Fine, then we'll do it the way you said. We'll plan everything properly and send you the proposal in a couple of days."

Lynn smiled and nodded, then stood up and saw the two supporters' representatives off.

He told Tony Benn about it and asked him to handle the matter.

Just after he returned to his office, his father, Lin Jiajie, called him.

"Son, the investment company is drowning in work today. Do you have time to come over and help oversee things? I'm afraid Pete might work himself to death alone."

During Lin Jiajie's return to China for market research and the establishment of a new company, the Lin Investment Company in Swansea was being run by Pete.

Lynn had met Pete once. He knew Lin Jiajie valued him highly, and Pete had also handled matters for Lynn before, leaving Lynn with the impression that he was very capable.

Lynn asked in surprise, "What happened?"

"Aiya, it's the money collection! Did you forget?"

"What am I supposed to remember? I basically don't interfere in company matters."

"It's that marketing plan you came up with last year. We signed agreements with customers who bet on Swansea being promoted or winning the title. If their slips lost, there would be compensation. If their slips won, we would receive five times the amount of their original stake as our return. Weren't you the one who created that betting agreement?"

Lynn slapped his forehead. He really had forgotten. Today, he had only been happy that the fans could make money.

In other words, in a roundabout way, Lin Investment Company would also make a great profit from the fans winning money through their betting slips.

Not only had they obtained a huge customer base, they had also cooperated with that customer base, gained a large income, and built up their brand. If their next step could retain those customers, the market could grow bigger and bigger.

"This is a good thing. Let Pete handle it. Why would I go? It would actually look bad, like I'm deliberately showing off and letting everyone know that I created this project. Dad, there's really no need. You don't need to do that either. If you value Pete, let Pete build authority in the company. As long as the company belongs to us, that's enough."

Lynn instantly understood Lin Jiajie's intention.

What nonsense about the company being too busy? Even if it was too busy, how much could Lynn improve work efficiency by going there? Was he supposed to publicly make a speech?

"Hey, hey, hey, dear punter friends who signed contracts with our company, please take a small portion of your winnings and hand it over to us according to the agreement. Otherwise, you'll be violating the contract, and we may sue you."

That would be ridiculous.

Lynn did not want his image in the supporters' hearts to turn into that of a bloodsucker.

Lin Jiajie must have thought of that too. He was only using this as an excuse to have Lynn go to the company and take charge, planting the image of the crown prince inside the company.

He wanted the employees collecting the money to understand that most of the profits the company was receiving now were Lynn's credit!

That would naturally help Lynn establish a good image and status inside the company.

But Lynn's thinking was more advanced.

He believed there should be no opposition between business management and ownership. Let the best managers work loyally for him; as the owner, he only needed to care about one thing.

Income!

So he would not go to the company, steal Pete's spotlight, or give Pete even the slightest emotional discomfort.

After hearing Lynn's words, Lin Jiajie fell silent on the other end of the phone for a moment before saying, "All right. I respect your opinion. It's just that, in my heart, I'm still thinking you'll eventually take over the company. After all, if the business grows bigger and bigger, then from the perspective of economic benefit, it would definitely be better than being a football coach, right?"

Lin Jiajie's thinking was that the football club was just a toy. Once Lynn got tired of playing with it, he would leave!

It was not that he disrespected Lynn's dream. It was just that in his eyes, Lynn was still a child. Not to mention children—even adults often changed their dreams casually. Today they wanted to do this, tomorrow they wanted to do that.

He wanted to make sure that when Lynn eventually got tired of the football "game" and returned to take over the company, he would not lack authority, and the people under him would not obey on the surface while refusing to accept him in their hearts.

But Lynn said over the phone, "Dad, you should actively expand the scale of the business world. I'll do my coaching here and be the owner of my club. I have my own plan. I won't treat the club purely as a game and pour money into it without limits. I'll recover my investment very soon and make it profitable. I have my own plans and goals. Maybe one day you'll discover that the value of my football industry will exceed one billion, two billion pounds, or even more. Don't disbelieve it. I'm full of confidence about this."

"All right. Dad believes you have that ability too. Dad will absolutely support you!"

"Thank you, Dad!"

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