The Greatest Manager of All time

At two minutes to ten in the morning, the sun was bright and the sky was cloudless. Lynn stood on the training ground with his coaching staff, waiting for the players to arrive.

One minute later, the players walked out of the dressing room together and headed toward the training pitch.

Everyone had originally been in high spirits, but they suddenly noticed Lynn standing on the training ground with his arms folded across his chest, his expression stern, as if he was in a bad mood.

Many of the players were completely confused, but since Lynn had already taken on that quietly imposing posture, they immediately became a little nervous as well.

The most nervous, naturally, were the four who knew exactly what had happened: Badenberg, Kalunbel, Nelson, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After the team gathered, Lynn had fitness coach Oene Shackleton lead the players through stretching and warm-up exercises first.

In the past, Lynn would also join everyone and do the exercises together. They were good for the body, and taking part also made the master-disciple relationship better. It especially made the training atmosphere more comfortable for everyone.

But today, Lynn kept standing in front of everyone with his arms folded. His calm, unreadable eyes carried a pressure that left many people feeling uneasy.

After the stretching exercises were finished, the team began their warm-up jog.

Normally, they would run four or five laps around the training ground. Today, after they finished and were preparing for a short rest before officially starting training, Lynn suddenly called out names.

"Badenberg, Kalunbel, Nelson, go run another twenty laps. Ronaldo, another ten."

Only at this moment did the other players realize that these four had angered Lynn!

But they still did not know why.

The four players being punished had been the shining stars of yesterday's Football League Trophy match.

They had joined forces to dominate a massacre!

Why were they being punished today?

What exactly had happened in the twelve hours between the end of yesterday's match and now?

Everyone whispered among themselves during the break. Before long, assistant coach Emlyn Hughes came over and called them to begin official training. In truth, they did not care that much about those four players. At the end of the day, just as Badenberg had complained the night before, they were only substitutes.

People who were not valued.

If you did not have the strength of a main character, then do not demand the treatment of one.

Professional football was that cruel.

The players began training, while Lynn continued standing by the side of the pitch, watching the four players keep running laps.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to finish. After he was done, he came before Lynn. The boy forced himself not to collapse. Lynn looked down at Cristiano, who was bent over with both hands on his knees, gasping heavily, and said in a deep voice, "Cristiano, remember why you came here from Portugal. If you don't need me to remind you, then do you need me to tell your mother that you drank alcohol at a nightclub?"

Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly raised his head and said to Lynn, "Boss, please don't tell my family!"

"Then don't do things that would disappoint, hurt, and break the hearts of your family! You are their pride! Let them remain proud of you forever!"

Lynn's expression changed abruptly, and he roared at Cristiano Ronaldo in a low, heavy voice.

Many players on the training ground were drawn by Lynn's shout. Hughes had no choice but to remind the players to focus on training.

Cristiano Ronaldo looked ashamed and said sincerely, "Boss, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong! Please give me one chance!"

"Go drink some water and rest for a while. When you feel ready, join training again."

Lynn did not continue being harsh with him. Just as Levin had said, Cristiano Ronaldo was only sixteen. Yet he had already carried too much. For one mistake, a slight punishment was enough.

Cristiano Ronaldo went to rest, replenished his water, and after sitting for a while, he returned to the group and joined training before Badenberg and the others had finished their twenty laps.

Nelson and Badenberg had strong explosiveness and speed, but twenty laps tested endurance. In comparison, Kalunbel was actually the first of the three to finish.

Kalunbel came before Lynn, lowering his head as if waiting to be punished.

Lynn said to him, "Tell me the whole process of why you went to the nightclub last night and how you ended up leaving."

Kalunbel honestly told him everything from beginning to end. Lynn only wanted to know whether Kalunbel was being truthful.

After Kalunbel finished, Lynn said, "Go rest first. When training ends later, I'll hold a team meeting."

Kalunbel still left with an anxious heart.

Perhaps because his heart felt the heaviest, Badenberg ran until he was gasping desperately. Nelson finished one lap before him.

When Nelson stood before Lynn, he spoke before Lynn could say anything.

"Boss, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have gone to the nightclub that late, especially on the night after a match. I really know I was wrong!"

His attitude in admitting his mistake was so sincere that Lynn did not know what else to say. He could only keep a stern face and say, "Go rest first, then train. I'll deal with all of you later."

Before Horatio Nelson left, he said, "Boss, I'll accept any punishment."

When Badenberg finally came before Lynn, his legs had almost gone soft, as if he was about to kneel.

Lynn showed him no mercy. On the contrary, Lynn practically scolded him until he was covered in dog's blood.

"Robert Badenberg! What the fuck is wrong with your brain? You've been playing well since the start of the season, but it hasn't even been half a season and you're already getting carried away? The match ended at ten, and by eleven you'd already run off to a nightclub?

"The most unbelievable thing is that Cristiano Ronaldo is only sixteen, and you actually brought him drinking? Are you out of your mind? Huh? If you want to ruin yourself, don't fucking drag your teammate into the grave with you!"

Lynn's fierce scolding of Badenberg stunned the other players on the training ground.

Lynn berated Badenberg for a full half hour, which brought the time to eleven in the morning.

Close to noon, Lynn gathered the whole team.

The players stood in three rows facing him.

Lynn stood in the center, his face still carrying lingering anger.

"After the match ended last night, four players in this team did not go home to rest. They went to a nightclub!

"I have never banned you from going to nightclubs, because I'm not much older than you. I understand your mentality and your way of life very well.

"But first and foremost, you must put the team first!

"When we are short of players, when important teammates are lying in hospital beds, when the pressure of our future schedule is so enormous, when we have achieved nothing yet this season!

"The team needs every single one of you to put the team's interests first!

"When they were indulging themselves at the nightclub, perhaps they didn't think about the fact that we still have a league match in three days!

"Perhaps they didn't think about what would happen if their bodies and competitive condition were affected!

"Fortunately, they were only a few individuals, not a whole group of you running off to the nightclub.

"Guys, you should have heard that the club is planning to build a new stadium.

"I guarantee this with my reputation as the club owner: we are not talking nonsense. We are not fooling our fans, and we are not just trying to make everyone happy for a moment. The new stadium construction plan will begin as soon as early next year!

"At the same time, I have another piece of news to tell you. I have already ordered a Boeing 747 private plane. This plane will be used for our long-distance travel. In the near future, when we go to London to play matches, we won't need to sit on a train for four or five hours. We'll be there in one hour. If we need to go to Newcastle, it will only take an hour and a half.

"This is not for your enjoyment. It is to make you comfortable, so you don't have to suffer through long journeys, and so you can play matches in better mental and physical condition!

"This is your professional career, and it is closely tied to the lifeline of the club.

"So I will do everything I can to do what benefits the club and what benefits you. I also hope you will take care of yourselves. I have confidence in the club's future, but I do not want to see any of you fall behind!

"As for the four players who went to the nightclub last night, the detailed punishment plan will be announced shortly. I hope all of you take this as a warning.

"Dismissed!"

After Lynn finished speaking, he dismissed the team.

In truth, self-disciplined players would not care too much about what Lynn had said, because they would not make this kind of low-level mistake in the first place.

So what they cared about more was that Lynn had confirmed the new stadium and the private plane.

"My God! The Boss bought a private plane! And it's for us to use! That's absolutely amazing!"

James Cook shouted in disbelief as he walked toward the dressing room.

Friedrich said, "Why do I feel like we're almost not footballers anymore? One moment we're driving sports cars to matches, and the next we're flying to matches on a private plane!"

"Hahaha, that's because we have the best Boss in the world! Exactly because of that, we need to work even harder and perform even better!"

Tobias Rau said excitedly.

Friedrich scratched his head, then walked over to Charisteas and asked in a low voice, "Oliver and David aren't here. Right now, I'm the only vice-captain left in the team. Do you think I need to hold a players' meeting?"

Charisteas thought for a moment and said, "Yes. To be honest, the Boss isn't actually that strict with us. He gives us time to relax and even takes the initiative to give us days off. If we still indulge ourselves without knowing what matters, then that really can't be justified.

"Now that some players have made this kind of mistake, and they're also much younger than us, it would be good to hold a meeting and let everyone state their position. But don't turn it into a trial meeting. That would be completely wrong."

Friedrich nodded deeply in agreement. "Mm. I don't want the dressing room to split either, but if a problem appears, we can't pretend we don't see it. Sigh, I'm most afraid they'll start overthinking things themselves."

"That said, team discipline still has to be managed! You're the vice-captain. David and Oliver aren't here. Besides, it's better for you to chair this kind of meeting. Those two are a little lacking in toughness."

Friedrich looked at Charisteas in surprise and asked, "Why do I feel like you're saying I'm a bad guy?"

"No, no, no. I'm praising you. You have the air of a hard man!"

Friedrich could not help smiling.

"I like hearing that."

After returning to the dressing room, Friedrich held a team meeting. As the team's vice-captain, he emphasized the issue of team discipline and restated Lynn's view: when the team was short of players, they needed to unite and put the team's interests first!

As players, protecting their own health, arranging their rest time reasonably, conserving energy, and preparing for matches was their top priority!

Outside, the media was focused on the sensational news of Swansea building a new stadium.

The Welsh media applauded and praised it, believing Swansea would quickly surpass Cardiff in the future and become the football center of Wales!

However, many Fleet Street media outlets were questioning Swansea Football Club's decision.

There were no personal grudges involved this time.

Many articles published by Fleet Street media analyzed from a professional perspective whether Swansea's grand construction plan would bring more harm or benefit.

Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail expressed a view in his article that was basically consistent with the views published by other Fleet Street outlets.

"If the club owner is paying out of his own pocket to build the new stadium, then there is no problem. It will not create hidden dangers for the club.

"But if this is funded by loans, and loans worth hundreds of millions of pounds, then we must express concern!

"Swansea's financial report last season showed a loss. Unless something unexpected happens, it will also be very difficult for them to break even this season. They may suffer a small loss, because their wage expenditure is simply too high! At the same time, they are already carrying more than £40 million in debt!

"Even though the club's asset value has soared from less than £5 million to £50 million in one year, that still cannot hide the cruel reality that the club cannot turn a profit.

"A club that does not make money is about to take on hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. What ability do they have to repay that debt?

"Even Manchester United, a money-making machine, would not casually take on hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. Yet Swansea are now naively and innocently planning to build a new stadium?

"Where will the money to repay the debt come from?

"Where will the money for player wages come from?

"Where will the money for signings to strengthen the squad come from?

"Has Swansea Football Club's owner thought about any of this?"

Fleet Street was seriously discussing this issue, because in contemporary English football, many clubs were experiencing financial crises.

Forget Premier League clubs; even teams in the First Division, Second Division, and Third Division had constant news of financial crises breaking out.

Low income and a scarcity of income channels were the fatal reasons.

Lynn had no interest in what others were saying. If Fleet Street wanted to discuss it, let them discuss it.

In England, east of Wales, people seemed to believe that Wales was committing suicide!

They were waiting for the disaster of Swansea falling into an irreversible financial whirlpool, so they could raise glasses and celebrate!

Before the weekend league match arrived, Lynn attended a press conference. As expected, reporters asked about the new stadium construction plan, but that was not the main point. Lynn could handle it calmly.

When Walter Raleigh brought the issue of four Swansea players partying at a nightclub after the midweek match onto the table, Lynn solemnly and forcefully issued a club statement.

"Badenberg, Kalunbel, Nelson, and Cristiano Ronaldo violated team rules with their actions. The club will not tolerate such behavior, and therefore, the four players have each been punished.

"With the exception of Badenberg, the other three players have been fined one week's wages. Badenberg has been fined one month's wages!

"I hope Swansea's players take this as a warning and avoid such incidents happening again in the future!"